Sweet Evil (2010) User Reviews

Simenon style

[dbdumonteil · 3 June 2011]

A working-class girl takes refuge in the outhouse of a desirable mansion,where a well-to-do couple lives :he is a judge and they have not got any children.Very soon,the runaway(?) shows up and ,little by little ,interfere with her hosts' life.She tells them she could be helpful as a cook or as a chamber maid.We soon learn that her mother is in jail and that she has a boyfriend she sees from time to time.

The audience expects a love affair between the mature man (or why not the wife?) and the teenager .But the relationship is actually much more complex:the bourgeois couple was never able to have a child and the woman's pastime is making dolls .In this old house,where everybody seems to invent a past for himself,something ominous is slowly happening.The girl is actually some kind of exterminating angel .People who like Georges Simenon's books (and the movies based on them) can have a look.

Real World Grit from a Girl to Avoid!

[TrTm316 · 8/10 · 2 October 2018]

Anais Demoustier provides a frighteningly believable performance as a 15-year-old who is badly raised and who lacks any confidence whatsoever in the righteousness of the judicial system. She lies about her circumstances to insert herself into the household and lives of a judge and his wife. Then, manipulating all those around her, she forges toward her goal with sociopathic indifference to the collateral damage.

With a supremely professional supporting cast and a simple, classic soundtrack, the ambiance stays just dark enough to keep the viewer worried the entire time without veering into the genre of horror. This is real-world grit, and very satisfying.

Unlike many French films I've seen, this one didn't leave plot points unresolved. It didn't jump forward while giving the viewer no clue to how much time had passed. And the subtitling seemed complete and error-free. Nicely done. I enjoyed it.

Wow! Time Went Spent.

[gennyt84 · 10/10 · 6 February 2014]

Wonderfully spun story of desperation, manipulation, shame and dysfunction and how this radiates outwards. For someone so young, Celine has such a firm grasp on how to force a situation to go her way that it becomes a bit unsettling to watch. In contrast with her clearly unstable boyfriend Romain, Celine's scars are well hidden behind smiles and a veneer of innocence. She has developed a scary ability to exploit and discard other people and we get to see it play out over some really cringe and gasp worthy scenes.

Seeing Nathalie's sweet and mothering nature and the subtle queues of Henri's impending failure as a husband, judge and human being made me get up and walk away a couple times. I kept yelling, "No, Henri, No!". The secrets, the denial, the mind games and tension really pulled at me since they are all very well within the realm of possibility. One gets a glimpse into how monsters are made. I stumbled onto this on Netflix and I'm so happy I did.

Give this one a look

[star_novaman · 8/10 · 13 May 2013]

A very intelligent and street-wise young teenager spreads a path of destruction to people she comes in contact with along the path to achieve her objective of freeing her mother from prison.

The basic underlying theme, an older man becoming romantically involved with a much younger woman, is no surprise but there is a lot of interesting character development and that is what makes this film worthwhile.

Young Céline has clearly been mistreated by the system. At the point we meet her, she has figured out how to take care of herself and use her budding sexuality and charm to get what she wants from those older than herself.

The initial interactions with Henri Van Eyck and his wife provide an opening for Céline to seek self improvement and redemption. But she is driven by an objective and uses her manipulative skills to achieve that regardless of the damage to others.

Despite her young age, Céline is already damaged goods, likely beyond repair. She lies to everyone she encounters.

At the end, Céline has achieved her objective but faces an unhappy future. Her relationship with her mother cannot go back to what it was and her boyfriend has now gone from torture and killing of animals to beating up Céline and committing a murder.

The acting and scripting of this firm are very well done.