Innocence (2004/II)

Note des utilisateurs:

6.9/10   

Réalisateur:

Lucile Hadzihalilovic

Writers:

Lucile Hadzihalilovic (writer)
Frank Wedekind (novella)

Release Date:

12 janvier 2005 (France)

Genre:

Drame | Mystery

Plot:

A look inside an offbeat boarding school for young girls. |

Plot Keywords:

Boarding School | Teacher | Girls' School | Allegory | Oddity

Awards:

8 wins

Avis des utilisateurs:

Very interesting and impressive debut

Ensemble

Zoé Auclair	...	Iris
Bérangère Haubruge	...	Bianca
Lea Bridarolli	...	Alice
Marion Cotillard	...	Mademoiselle Eva
Hélène de Fougerolles	...	Mademoiselle Edith
Alisson Lalieux	...	Selma
Astrid Homme	...	Rose
Ana Palomo-Diaz	...	Nadja
Olga Peytavi-Müller	...	Laura
Joséphine Van Wambeke	...	Vera
Véronique Nordey	...	Chateau Attendant
Johanna Surbier	...	Fanny
Corinne Marchand	...	Headmistress
Sonia Petrovna	...	Headmistress's Assistant
Micheline Hadzihalilovic	...	Madeleine

Autre(s) titre(s):

L'école (France) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexual content and brief nudity involving a minor.

Durée:

122 min | Argentina:115 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Pays:

Belgium | France | UK | Japan

Langue:

Français

Couleur:

Couleur

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Classification:

Finland:K-11 | Brazil:14 | USA:R | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Japan:PG-12 | Argentina:13 | UK:15

Emplacements De Pelliculage:

Belgium

Company:

Ex Nihilo

Soundtrack:

Musique pour exercises de gymnastique I-V

Very interesting and impressive debut

We watched this film during my Film History and Theory class this past Thursday and aside from shoddy presentation (the projector was absolutely horrible and displayed the film too dark), I have to say that I enjoyed this quite a bit. At first, I almost dismissed it as artsy, pretentious French cinema due to the very slow pace and methodical direction but it had this eerie quality to it that kept my eyes glued to the screen, anticipating what was yet to come. The story is told in a very abstract way and the story is never really laid out for you in a conventional manner. In truth, it is a very simple tale but told in an imaginative way. There was great imagery and the use of sound to create a mysterious environment was very well done. At times it reminded me of the films of David Lynch, (especially Lost Highway and Mulholland Dr.) and Gaspar Noe (Irreversible), which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. The acting by the principals is very good, considering that they consisted mainly of very young girls. The director managed to capture natural performances from all of them and having worked with children on films in the past, I have to applaud her efforts on this end as I know how difficult it can be to get them to give you the results you're looking for. From a negative stance, the film runs just a bit too long and the pacing could've been trimmed a little to make it run a bit faster and leaner. There were stretches where the film felt like it was never going to end. In the end, I would definitely recommend this to those who appreciate art-house cinema as this caters directly to them. This was an impressive debut for Ms. Hadzihalilovic and I am definitely curious to see what she comes up with next.

RATING: ***1/2 out of *****.