Can you imagine what it means to have a 'mentally disabled' family member? If you are not personally affected, the answer must be "No!". That's none of your business anyway, you say? In this case 'Nos Familles' ('Our families') isn't, either... But if you really care about such topics, or human behaviour, social life and relationships in general, I highly recommend this movie by Siegrid Alnoy.
First thing to mention: "Nos Familles" has nothing to do with "Rain Man", "Awakenings" or even "Silence of the lambs", as there is no dramatical scenography à la Hollywood, neither thrilling musical scores and effects. Instead it's made of clear, impressive and sometimes disturbing pictures. It feels very true, showing us a reality we usually avoid to be faced with. The high level of realism, found in the scenes taking place in the sanatorium, is simply amazing. The fact that the leading female part (Laure) is played by Sasha Andrès, who in real life is not just an actor but also a therapist, working with autistic and mentally disabled people, sure committed a lot to this project.
++++ SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS ++++ The movie shows us a short but important period in the life of Paul (Philippe Duquesne), a male nurse working in a sanatorium. There are many flashbacks, showing us different chapters in his life: As little boy, living with his Mom and his conspiciously silent, younger sister and as an adolescent, living with his stepmother, a rather emotionless, accomodated woman and his stepfather who tries to turn him into a typical "tough" male. (These efforts will be unmasked as the desperate try of some sort of 'self realization' in another, impressive scene towards the end.) As the movie goes on, we will learn that Paul's mother, unable to cope life and her autistic daughter, commits sucide and while he is adopted, the little girl is brought to a protectory - whereas Paul begins to realize that one of the in-patients he is in care of, is his sister he "lost" thirty years ago. As personal relationships between nursing staff and patients are forbidden, this leads to troubles and finally his transfer to another section of the sanatorium. A situation he can't stand, so he has to make his own decision...
Conclusion:
"Nos Familles" is full of highly impressive, touching, shocking, moving situations and pictures. Just as in real life there are people 'in the wrong place', others who lost every hope and giving up - comprehensible and kinda sad at the same time. But there is also love and understanding amongst all this, shown in a very touching, but not kitschy way. Maybe, due the effort to avoid becoming cheesy, I sometimes had the impression that some setups and/or lines are a bit too sober - on the other hand this may improve the impact on the viewer. The huge amount of those sometimes completely unexpected flashbacks can also be irritating and so may the few scenes showing violence (which absolutely happens in those institutions), or some appearing nudity do, to some viewers. However, I was deeply impressed by this film and I consider it as a 'must see' for everybody who sometimes likes to reflect about human behaviour and the ongoing social devlopement - 9 out of 10!
First thing to mention: "Nos Familles" has nothing to do with "Rain Man", "Awakenings" or even "Silence of the lambs", as there is no dramatical scenography à la Hollywood, neither thrilling musical scores and effects. Instead it's made of clear, impressive and sometimes disturbing pictures. It feels very true, showing us a reality we usually avoid to be faced with. The high level of realism, found in the scenes taking place in the sanatorium, is simply amazing. The fact that the leading female part (Laure) is played by Sasha Andrès, who in real life is not just an actor but also a therapist, working with autistic and mentally disabled people, sure committed a lot to this project.
++++ SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS ++++ The movie shows us a short but important period in the life of Paul (Philippe Duquesne), a male nurse working in a sanatorium. There are many flashbacks, showing us different chapters in his life: As little boy, living with his Mom and his conspiciously silent, younger sister and as an adolescent, living with his stepmother, a rather emotionless, accomodated woman and his stepfather who tries to turn him into a typical "tough" male. (These efforts will be unmasked as the desperate try of some sort of 'self realization' in another, impressive scene towards the end.) As the movie goes on, we will learn that Paul's mother, unable to cope life and her autistic daughter, commits sucide and while he is adopted, the little girl is brought to a protectory - whereas Paul begins to realize that one of the in-patients he is in care of, is his sister he "lost" thirty years ago. As personal relationships between nursing staff and patients are forbidden, this leads to troubles and finally his transfer to another section of the sanatorium. A situation he can't stand, so he has to make his own decision...
Conclusion:
"Nos Familles" is full of highly impressive, touching, shocking, moving situations and pictures. Just as in real life there are people 'in the wrong place', others who lost every hope and giving up - comprehensible and kinda sad at the same time. But there is also love and understanding amongst all this, shown in a very touching, but not kitschy way. Maybe, due the effort to avoid becoming cheesy, I sometimes had the impression that some setups and/or lines are a bit too sober - on the other hand this may improve the impact on the viewer. The huge amount of those sometimes completely unexpected flashbacks can also be irritating and so may the few scenes showing violence (which absolutely happens in those institutions), or some appearing nudity do, to some viewers. However, I was deeply impressed by this film and I consider it as a 'must see' for everybody who sometimes likes to reflect about human behaviour and the ongoing social devlopement - 9 out of 10!