Synopsis
Gérard Depardieu is a Catholic priest and doctor with a dark secret in his past. Working inBrazil, he deals with the case of Sarah (Élodie Bouchez), a Carmelite nun who suffers all thesymptoms of appendicitis without actually having it. He is gravely concerned for her health, butthe Carmelites are very protective of Sarah. In fact, they are clearly hiding something.Meanwhile, in Paris, Sarah’s twin sister Gäelle is about to be released on parole after serving tenyears of a …rison sentence for having murdered an infant. Depardieu becomes obsessed with thetwins, and with the secret they share.
This thriller gets off to a promising start, and it does sustain interest througout, what withdark hints of conspiracies and terrible crimes. Unfortunately, the resolution manages to besimultaneously predictable and incomprehensible. Take a stab at what secret twins might have,and you’re probably right. Many other elements, particularly those hinting at larger conspiracies,are left completely unresolved.
Audio
Superbly atmospheric sound. Powerful, with excellent music reproduction, the audio doeswonders for the film. The surround effects are constant and very convincing, with wonderfulplacement. Early in the film, when flames erupt, the roar of the fire is enormous, with apounding, nerve-wracking bass to it. The dialogue is clear and distortion-free.
Video
The picture, in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, is very solid too. The flesh tones and blacksare very good, as are the colours and contrasts. The image is very sharp, and the onlydrawback is some very slight edge enhancement. This is a minor cavil, made up for by theexcellent night scenes, which never become murky.
Special Features
Bouchez and director Graham Guit provide the (subtitled) commentary. Guit is barelyarticulate, but Bouchez isn’t enormously better, and both natter on too much about what isobviously happening on-screen. There are some behind-the-scenes anecdotes, but very little byway of helpful plot exegesis. Other than the commentary, there are trailers for The Pact ofSilence, Darkness Falls and Identity. The main screen of the menu isanimated and scored.
Closing Thoughts
An entertaining-enough thriller, but one whose payoff is ultimately a big disappointment. Avery snazzy audio, though.
Special Features List
- Audio Commentary
- Trailers
