Elsa, a woman grieving for her dead daughter, knows what it must feel when she suddenly realizes she might be living a lie. For all practical purposes, Lucy, her infant daughter, has been dead, and buried. Elsa's estranged husband wants to put the matter to rest and so are her parents. Now living alone with Thomas, her son, she suddenly becomes aware that his school mate, Jeremy, holds the key to solve her great pain in mourning for Lucy.
We are asked to follow Elsa, as she tails Claire, the mother of Jeremy, who also has a young daughter, Lola, in whom she discovers a great resemblance of her beloved Lucy. Elsa must gain entrance to Claire's home, which is being sold as the family is moving to Montreal. Elsa appears to be a loose canon in the way she acts, getting as close to the little girl, as she can.
The film, directed by Safy Nebbou, which she co-wrote with Cyril Gomez-Mathieu, asks the viewer to look at what it is being shown from the perspective of what appears to be a deranged woman who cannot find solace in the great loss she experienced. That is why, when the action turns in an unexpected and surprising way, we are completely taken aback because in our minds we have been led to view the situation from Claire's side.
Catherine Frot keeps amazing with each new appearance. Her Elsa shows a woman at an almost breaking point. Ms. Frot is a welcome presence in anything she plays. In the film she is equally matched by one of the most interesting actresses from France, Sandrine Bonnaire. To her credit, Ms. Bonnaire brings an intensity to all her roles, something that she builds in a performance that is nuanced without gimmick. Wladimir Yordanoff plays Claire's husband. The great Michel Aumont is seen as Elsa's father.
This is the first film by M. Nebbou, who according to the IDMb credits has worked in shorts before. The director shows talent and good instincts in the way he gets the audience involved in a film that was based on a real story.
We are asked to follow Elsa, as she tails Claire, the mother of Jeremy, who also has a young daughter, Lola, in whom she discovers a great resemblance of her beloved Lucy. Elsa must gain entrance to Claire's home, which is being sold as the family is moving to Montreal. Elsa appears to be a loose canon in the way she acts, getting as close to the little girl, as she can.
The film, directed by Safy Nebbou, which she co-wrote with Cyril Gomez-Mathieu, asks the viewer to look at what it is being shown from the perspective of what appears to be a deranged woman who cannot find solace in the great loss she experienced. That is why, when the action turns in an unexpected and surprising way, we are completely taken aback because in our minds we have been led to view the situation from Claire's side.
Catherine Frot keeps amazing with each new appearance. Her Elsa shows a woman at an almost breaking point. Ms. Frot is a welcome presence in anything she plays. In the film she is equally matched by one of the most interesting actresses from France, Sandrine Bonnaire. To her credit, Ms. Bonnaire brings an intensity to all her roles, something that she builds in a performance that is nuanced without gimmick. Wladimir Yordanoff plays Claire's husband. The great Michel Aumont is seen as Elsa's father.
This is the first film by M. Nebbou, who according to the IDMb credits has worked in shorts before. The director shows talent and good instincts in the way he gets the audience involved in a film that was based on a real story.