Généalogies d’un crime (1997) - film review

After the death of her own son, a lawyer, Solange, agrees to defend a young man, René, who is accused of murdering his wealthy aunt, Jeanne.  Jeanne belonged to the Franco-Belgian Psychoanalytic Society, a group that adopts unusual views about life.   Jeanne was convinced that soon after she adopted René as an infant he would grow up to become a murderer.  As Solange investigates, she becomes attracted to René, and before long she is drawn into a murderous web of intrigue...

This stylish psychological thriller is avant-garde director Raoul Ruiz’s most accessible film to date.  In spite of that, it contains all of the artistic flourishes which has earned Ruiz a reputation as one of the most imaginative and unconventional directors of recent years. 

The film is based on the true story of Hermine van Hug, a Viennese psychoanalyst of the 1920s, who was murdered by her nephew after having subjected him to an unusual form of psychiatric treatment.  Taking this as a starting point, Ruiz uses it to explore the nature of freewill and creates a dark, haunting melodrama, in which the characters are no more than actors playing out a pre-ordained destiny.

The impact of the film is nearly compromised by some overt comic elements (notably Michel Piccoli’s very odd character), which sometimes appear to send up the film’s main themes.  Fortunately, a spell-binding performance from Catherine Deveuve (who plays both the lawyer Solange and the fated aunt Jeanne with equal aplomb) prevents this from being anything more than a minor irritation. 

Despite its off-the-wall subject matter and stagy ending, the film is thought-provoking, intelligent and entertaining.  With some mesmerising photography, assisted by the roving camera movements which Ruiz seems unable to resist in his films, the result is a compelling, if not polished, piece of cinema.

© James Travers 2001

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