DbcultAccessing Vault...
Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
If you're into dusty, black-and-white French dramas where everyone is either crying or looking intensely at a piece of parchment, then yeah, watch it. If you need pacing faster than a tortoise on a nap, skip it. It’s heavy on the heart-tugging, which is fine if you're in the mood to feel a bit sad for a while.
Honestly, the whole movie feels like a stage play that decided to wander outside. The acting is big—I mean, really big. Gaby Triquet is doing the heavy lifting here as the kid, and he does that thing where he just stares with these huge, watery eyes until you feel like a monster for not adopting him yourself.
It’s the 1930s, that's why. Everything is a crisis. A letter goes missing? Crisis. A long-lost relative shows up? Crisis. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Tout s'arrange, but with way more weeping and way less... well, fixing of things.
There is a scene in the courtroom that just goes on forever. The camera barely moves, and you start counting the wrinkles on the judge’s forehead just to keep your brain busy. It’s a bold choice to let the silence sit there, but sometimes it felt like the film was just waiting for me to get bored.
I found myself thinking about Alexander Hamilton while watching this, mainly because of how much weight these old movies put on 'honor' and 'reputation.' Like, relax, guys! It’s just a misunderstanding! But nobody listens to me, and the drama keeps chugging along until the inevitable conclusion.
It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s sincere. There’s no irony here. The film just wants you to feel bad for the kid, and by the end, I was mostly just exhausted. In a good way? Maybe. 📽️
If you watch this, pay attention to the way the shadows hit the wallpaper in the living room scenes. It’s oddly specific, but it looks like the house is actively plotting against the characters. Or maybe I just needed a coffee break.
