Le Lieu du crime (1986) - film review

In provincial France, a 13 year old boy, Thomas, runs into an escaped convict who orders him to return with some money.  Thomas lives with his father and grand-parents on a country estate.  From time to time, his estranged mother, Lili, comes to visit.  After an awkward meeting with his mother, Thomas returns to the convict with some money.   This time, the convict, Luc, is not alone – and his accomplice wants to kill the boy.  Luc saves Thomas by killing his accomplice.  Later, Luc meets Thomas’ mother and the two fall in love...

It is debatable as to which is the least credible in this film – the plot or the singularly odd characters which populate it.  Neither stands up well to even a superficial analysis and you are left with the feeling that a school child could have dreamt up a more believable scenario.  The plot twists and turns in the most unexpected and uncomfortable directions and ultimately grinds to a halt ten minutes before the film ends.

Fortunately, there are some saving graces and it would be unfair to write the film off as far-fetched nonsense.  The film is made with a certain amount of conviction and sobriety, and it boasts some very strong acting performances.  Téchiné’s tight, emotionally supressed, direction works very well for this kind of thriller.

Probably the best thing of all is a surprisingly good performance from Catherine Deneuve.  You may not believe the character she is playing, but the actress obviously does.

Watch out also for veteran actress Danielle Darrieux (a very popular actress in the 1940s and 1950s) playing an elderly grandmother – one of the few believable characters in the film.

© James Travers 2000

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This is one of the best films Deneuve made during the 80s, and considering the fact that Téchiné is one of her favorite directors, Deneuve’s performance in this romance-crime-thriller should not be dismissed.  It’s smallness, nuances, provincial qualities underscore the horror of its ending...

I have not seen this film in perhaps twenty years, and yet I remember it, as if written on my mind’s eye. Deneuve is perfect as a kind dowdy, abandoned wife (imagine this), and her relationship with the waif-like kidnapper is like something out of Freud... Only Téchiné or perhaps Buñuel could have brought out this level of vulnerability in CD’s presence on the screen.

Truly an undervalued, under-estimated piece of French cinema... and very much worthy of viewing for fans of Deneuve, Téchiné, and French cinema in general.

Elan (USA)

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