Marie des angoisses: A strange, heavy watch

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, that depends on your patience level. If you enjoy digging into old, slightly dusty dramas where characters stare out of windows for a long time, you might like this. If you need a movie to move, like, *at all*, you will probably hate it. It’s very much a film of its own era.

The pacing is… well, it’s a choice. There are scenes that just hang there, vibrating with tension that feels almost suffocating. Sometimes it works, and you feel the weight of the characters' choices. Other times, I found myself checking if my internet connection had glitched because nothing was moving.

The look of the thing

It’s got this moody, high-contrast look that I really dug. There’s a scene where the lighting hits the staircase, and for a second, it felt like a painting. It reminded me a bit of the atmosphere in La maison du Fantoche, just with a lot more gloom.

Suzy Prim is doing a lot of heavy lifting with just her eyes. It’s the kind of acting that you don't see much anymore—very precise, very contained. She holds the screen even when the script feels like it’s wandering off into the weeds.

Small observations

• The dialogue is incredibly formal, which is expected, but sometimes it sounds like they are reading from a manual of heavy thoughts.
• There is a background character who keeps shifting their weight in a way that became weirdly distracting for me.
• The wardrobe choices in the second act are fantastic, especially the coats.
• I’m still not sure what the deal was with that one clock in the hallway, but it definitely added to the anxiety.

I wouldn't call this a masterpiece or anything. It’s messy. It’s uneven. But it’s got a weird, haunting quality that keeps you watching even when you’re annoyed. It’s definitely not as straightforward as something like The Hoosier Schoolmaster, which is a totally different beast anyway.

Anyway, I liked the ending. It didn't try to wrap everything up in a neat little bow, which was a relief. Most movies these days are so desperate to explain themselves. This one just lets the silence do the talking. 🎞️