Review of 7 morts sur ordonnance

This film was apparently based on true events, however it offers absolutely no insights into them; despite all the pretentious and confusing switching back-and-forth in time, they remain just as inexplicably monstrous at the end as they were at the beginning. It tries to set up a kind of powerful-doctor-mafioso-evil-figure as indirectly responsible for the tragedies, but on the contrary he comes across as a very sensible person - he knew that something was wrong with both the surgeon who refuses to acknowledge his own medical problems (Piccoli) and the other surgeon who is a spoiled, cheating, overgrown brat (Depardieu). Besides, any movie that graphically shows the killing of little kids, not once but twice, crosses the line of acceptability in my book. The acting, for whatever that's worth, is fine, with Depardieu already showing his talent in one of his earliest roles, and Marina Vlady maturing beautifully. * out of 4.