Film Review
The zone of uncertainty surrounding a murder investigation crystallises into
a noxious web of intrigue and suspicion in this tense psychological drama,
the first fictional feature from Belgian filmmaker Samuel Tilman. Before
giving the crime-thriller genre a much needed shot in the arm with
Une
part d'ombre, Tilman has produced a number of films - notably Joachim
Lafosse's 2006 film
Ça rend heureux, which he also co-scripted
- and made a few short films, including the prize-winning
Nuit blanche
(2011). Whilst his first feature is not without some shortcomings,
it has enough flair and originality to make us think that Tilman is a director
to watch out for.
In a similar vein to Audrey Diwan's recent
Mais vous êtes fous
(2019),
Une part d'ombre combines elements of family drama and thriller
and depicts the gradual breakdown in the trust between a husband and wife
when a dark secret comes between them. Written with more imaginative
flair, Tilman's is the more convincing of the two films, although it also
suffers from a narrative that is too linearly projected and predictable.
As in Diwan's film, a pedestrian screenplay is redeemed by the utterly compelling
performances from the two lead actors, who enact a traumatic game of mutual
identity probing with astonishing conviction.
Fabrizio Rongione is an inspired choice for the lead role of David, the devoted
family man who soon becomes a murder suspect through some unwitting (or possibly
conscious) attempts to incriminate himself. Rongione is most familiar
for his work with the Dardenne brothers -
L'Enfant
(2005),
Le Silence de Lorna
(2008) - but his doggedly authentic style of acting is equally suited to
a lowkey genre film, as this film amply demonstrates. In a performance
of remarkable subtlety, the actor succeeds in arousing both our sympathy
and our anxieties, and by the mid-point we cannot be sure whether he is a
complete innocent playing a perverse game or a dangerous killer deliberately
intent on obfuscating matters. The question we are constantly prompted
to ask ourselves is: "Can this man really be capable of murder?" The
answer is a very long time coming.
The effect of this torturous uncertainty is most keenly revealed in the nuanced
performance of the film's lead actress Natacha Régnier, who plays
the suspected man's wife with no less conviction than her co-star.
It is agonising to watch as she succumbs to the haze of suspicion that slowly
infects every one of David's acquaintances, causing her to lose faith in
her husband and then to see him as a threat to both herself and their children.
It's incredible how long the film manages to keep up the tension and intrigue
without becoming dull and repetitive. Admittedly, the plot does lack
coherence and credibility in a few scenes, but thanks to its assured direction
and intense central performances it has no difficulty grabbing our attention
and holding on to it right until the very end.
© James Travers 2019
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Film Synopsis
David is a family man who has everything he could ask for, including a devoted
wife Julie and two children he adores. So far he has led an ordinary
existence and there is no sign of the dramatic turn of events that are about
to overtake him and his family as they return home after their holidays.
It seems a woman's corpse has been found in a solitary spot in the Vosges
mountains and the police are on the trail of her killer. David is apprehended
and called in by the police for routine questioning as a possible witness
to the murder. But as the interrogation proceeds it becomes apparent
that David may know more about the killing than he pretends. Little
by little, the cloud of suspicion around him spreads and contaminates his
lawyer, his friends, even his family. Is it possible that David is
the killer...?
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.