User Reviews

The thing about a film like "Olivier, Olivier" is how cold and distant the characters are directly influences the warmth of the film itself. This is a very distant, harsh story at times, filled with characters constantly at odds with one another. No one has a healthy, balanced relationship. Unlike Agnieszka Holland's next film, "The Secret Garden", the underlying beauties are greatly crushed beneath the weight of ugly attitudes. There's no redemption to be found, only emotional pain. That does not make this a bad film, only an exceedingly difficult one.

Love is always an illusion in "Olivier, Olivier". The only time it is at all real is in the early scenes of Nadine's and Olivier's childhood. From there on, guilt and possessiveness take over. In a frighteningly powerful way, everyone is, in turn, exposed for each of their darkest sides. The acting is great, there's no denying that. But it's far too narrowly focused. The cinematography is nice, but given virtually no breathing room. Scene after scene is the intense focus of faces and mid-range close-ups. Sometimes it feels like we never really get to see what's going on around these people. Then again, neither do they. Their world is excessively insular, incestuous, sealed in and circular.

There's a strange turn of events toward the last third of the film. A spiritual aspect is introduced briefly that has little forewarning and less explanation. I wouldn't normally be opposed to this inclusion, save for the fact that it has no real context or purpose in a straightforward drama. It feels ill-conceived and quite unbelievable.

In the end, most of the original questions are answered. Anyone who was watching could quite easily have pieced it together, but it is somewhat gratifying to see it resolved. A lot of people have praised this film as a stunning achievement. In a few ways, this can be true. But at the heart of "Olivier, Olivier", you are left with a somewhat dull, incompletely realized film. There are depths, both visual and emotional, that Agnieszka Holland doesn't nearly reach. It is a genuinely good film - but quite far away from being an excellent one.

A nine-year-old boy disappears without a trace. Six years later, he reappears in Paris but there are doubts about his real identity. The film entered the competition at the 49th Venice International Film Festival and won an award at the 1992 Valladolid International Film Festival.

I don't really have much to say about this film. Having now seen about half of the director's work, I would not go so far as to say I am a fan. Some of it, like "Angry Harvest", I thought was really good. But then we have this film, which never really held my attention. Some of the early scenes are good with the children interacting, but it becomes much less interesting once Olivier (if that is really him) appears as an adult.

Of all the French films I have seen so far, this one succeeds the most in creating a mood the French are known for doing so well: a sense of melancholy. After watching this film at the young age of 16, I was immediately taken in and mystified. After watching many other films, I can still say that this is one of my favorite films.

Now this is a truly wonderful film. It's simple enough: one day, a young boy goes missing from his family. Several years later, he returns - or does he?

This movie is a flawless dissection of a frighteningly twisted family, with extremely vivid characters. Agnieszka Holland has succeeded at that difficult task: create realistic characters in a believable situation, yet present them with shockingly eerie dilemma. Strongly recommended.

Side note: the only flaw in this movie was the rather ridiculous invocation of the supernatural. Fortunately, it's part of an almost completely irrelevant subplot, and can be safely ignored.

Olivier, Olivier is a very unique movie about a family who is held together by a delicate balance of familial roles. When one member, Olivier, suddenly disappears one day, the balance is thrown, the family falls apart, only to years later to be reunited with a teenage Olivier. The acting in this movie is interstellar, and the characters are almost instantly real and alive right down to the surprise climax. Viewers use discretion however, as there are intense sexual scenes- not so graphic, but dealing with incest, pedophilia and an ailing marriage. This movie in some way goes beyond the more acclaimed film by the same director, Europa,Europa, in it's intensity. As a similar film dealing with family in a similar vein I would highly recommend The Cement Garden.

Agnieszka Holland's "Olivier, Olivier" shares some things with Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo." Both are mysteries, both are suspenses, and both have deceptive scripts. In truly great mysteries, no matter how complex and intricate the plot may be, at the end one can go back, rethink. analyze and discover every plot element falls into place. All the clues and information which transpired are justified and neatly explained. Not so with the aforementioned. The first time viewers can be fooled into thinking every element is in place. But see it a number of times and one begins to discover deliberate false clues placed ino the action to throw off the viewer and manipulate his thinking. These clues are dishonest, for they are not internally justified, only an unfair device to "stack the deck"--to make the viewer think one way only to have a surprise element later on. But if the device use is a fake clue, this seriously undermines the work. These two films do just that; on first viewing they seem great. Watch it a few more times and note the "unfair play" these scripts have--all the pieces do not fall into place in the end, and indeed, they reveal themselves to be seriously flawed concepts. It is indeed a let down to make this discovery, but there it is. "Olivier, Olivier" is, like "Vertigo," a gem with a smooth surface and a cracked core.

A lot of people say that a major flaw of this movie is the odd powers of the sister, and when I first saw this movie I thought exactly that. Now that it's been about a year, I think that these powers, and how they aren't explained or dealt with in any way is amazing story telling. I don't think this movie is meant to make perfect sense, some people just don't understand that life itself makes no sense. The supernatural powers help create a tone that is haunting and beautiful. It's the style of the movie that makes it great. Most movies are completely forgettable, but this one stays with you and is so sad and wonderful. Also see Jean de Florette.

Interesting and slightly odd film about a son who disappears from his French family. He has a somewhat Oedipal relationship with his mother, and the family is very dysfunctional. Years later, he returns, but questions are raised if he is the real young man. The family drama is good and well-acted, but contains some truly bizarre subplots, such as the daughter's ability to levitate objects. The film also leaves some major perplexing questions regarding the boy, which I will not reveal. Nevertheless, an interesting and different film.

Two major flaws prevented this film from being truly great, but it was still a good movie that was at times engrossing and most certainly was memorable. It was quite intriguing once it got going, but I'd have to say that there was too much time spent on the period before the boy goes missing. Once he seemingly is back, it is a thoroughly entertaining film...that is, until the daughter starts displaying her supernatural powers. This part of the story almost killed the movie, but luckily, it never became a central issue, so things never got too bad. A terrific ending also helped to win me over. This should have been a GREAT film, considering how outstanding it was at times, but instead, this is only slightly above average.

What the hell went on in this film? Okay, kid vanishes from weird family, family panics, they get weirder, dad flees to Africa. Then, after about six years, the kid comes back from Paris and reintroduces himself to the family. I have it up to here.

Now, I am a fan of psychological movies. They appeal to me much more than movies that " blow stuff up " and I am considered an intelligent person. But the movie lost me after the first 45 minutes. What did the girl's power have to do with ANYTHING? Was he their real son or a fake? [ The movie offers symbolism but no actual CLUES that are good in a psychological movie. ] Does anyone care?

Art in the name of intellectual advancement is good. Art in the name of " art " is pretentious and not deserving of film time.

But the movie did one major good point - no dubbing, subtitles instead!

I recorded most of movie on VHS many years ago, and have just bought a used DVD from USA.

I wish to warn viewers, that a full 17 minutes is omitted on DVD, near the films end.

From point where the older Olivier returns home finding Serge delving in the garage, asking for help to sort out mess, to the point where Olivier drives on his motorbike to the little house and gives Marcel his just deserts, full 17 minutes omitted on DVD .

THIS IS THE HEART OF THE MOVIE

Will try to relate what is missing on DVD :-

Father Serge in Garage, finds old bottle of Calvados; he and Olivier consume it all getting drunk. They accuse each in turn of running away from home.

When they rejoin the two women, man and boy are in a bad way, Olivier singing 'House of the Rising Sun'.

Wife takes Serge to bed nursing his hangover

Later mother relates to Nadine what happened out shopping. Surrounded by lady shoppers, Gossip questing about return of husband and son. Newspaper reports true relative Olivier ? (Implication rent boy).

Nadine finds Olivier in bed crying. She joins him. Olivier produces sisters questionnaire board and supplies Nadine, with all the correct answers.

Then Olivier half dressed, enters Nadine's bedroom; she in turn is crying. He joins her in bed, he is cold and lonely. Nadine questions him again about Paris. He explains that his life has been in a series of railway station, his orphanages.

She draws him closer and then they have sex.

(Viewers wondering is this incest)?

Later Nadine becomes utterly convinced that Olivier is her brother and rushes to tell father Serge what she has seen and heard outside the house

At this point, we rejoin the DVD near the film's end, Olivier sorting out Marcel.

I think it criminal that heart of the film omitted on DVD.

olivier olivier is a very fine film, ruined in the DVD version. Buy the VHS and enjoy !

Sincerely, Michael Darlow.

The much-pampered, oedipally-loved son of a neurotic french mother, disappears without a trace (almost) while running a routine errand. Years later, a street-hustler teen, claiming to be the long-lost boy, is brought to live with the family, reuniting the mother and the father but alienating the older sister who remains skeptical of the youth's identity. Not entirely flawless as evidence of the lad's true fate are dropped like Hiroshima bombs upon the viewer. Perhaps if a certain Australian singer/actress had played the mother this film could be retitled "Olivier, Olivier Newton-John".

"Olivier, Olivier" is one of the best films I've watched recently, and comes from one of the most creatively fruitful periods for cinema - the early 1990s. It is unpleasant yet riveting, thought-provoking, erotic, ambiguous, and beautifully detailed. The director, Agnieszka Holland, does not feel the need to do anything overly fancy: she relies on the locations (the deceptively quiet French countryside), the acting (powerful across the board, but the young Gregoire Colin and Marina Golovine, in particular, are revelations) and the story (full of twists and turns) to carry the film, and they do. The ending leaves a lot up for debate - just like a work of art should. ***1/2 out of 4.

By the end of the movie, you stop questioning what is real and what is dream. You forget that everything up to the truth has been gentle. Even the disappearance and the conflict with the neighbors take a back seat to the overall gentle telling of the story. When the audience is then faced with what may be true to the people in the movie, it all ends and the movie becomes reality. Even the last shot of the movie questions who is living in the gentle fiction that makes up their lives. Having to face the truth by the end of the movie, the family chooses to live the gentle lie that has brought them all together. The sexual tension between husband and wife / sister and brother explodes before your eyes. Not out of lust but out of love. Very few movies have captures this, Olivier Olivier has.

"... Holland is 'one of the great film makers in telling a story, unlike so many Europeans who emphasize character. The American public takes to a film where a story is told well'" (Film Quarterly: Vol.52, No.2, Winter 1998-9, pg3).

This comment, made by Orion's Michael Barker, is not far off the mark--at least with respect to Holland's film: "Olivier, Olivier" (1992). Despite the plot's non-fictional premise--the idea for the film, in fact, is based on a French newspaper item from the early 1980s--Agniezca Holland's ability in fully capturing the truly bizarre nature of this story leaves viewers wondering if she, in making the film, could actually have been working from real-life experiences. Holland lays the storyline out in a traditional, chronological manner but makes sure to jump ahead several years at a time, where necessary, to retain her audience's attention. I am American and I did 'take to' this film. In this sense, Michael Barker is absolutely correct. However, I imagine anyone would enjoy a story as well told as Holland tells this one.

Highly recommended.

what can i say, i like foreign movies, and i liked this one. Its just a simply, little story and its worth a watch. I liked the lead actor and felt sorry for him, i just wish the movie was longer or had a second part or something. Have a look at it and rest easy.