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In the shadow of the French Alps, love, obsession and passion collide when three brothers in a close-knit family are forced to confront what has until then brought them together, and what will now tear them apart. Sexy French superstars Nicolas Cazalé ('Le Grand Voyage') and Stéphane Rideau ('Presque Rien') star in this epic portrait of simmering masculinity and a family unit in a fiery state of flux.
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"Induces a kind of hypnotic, sensual ease... remarkable" --Sight & Sound
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
A beautifully cast French master piece, originally known as 'Le Clan'.
Three brothers as diverse as their internal struggles, face their inner demons after the untimely death of their mother. One implodes after descending into a world of grief and unsaid emotion, whilst his father seems incapable of understanding. Another finds compromise in conformity, believing that if he pleases his father and does what he is told, then there is no need to think on things past. Then there is the younger, who initially seems frail and in need of protection, only to emerge as the brother who least requires it despite the demands of his father.
It is indeed devastating to loose a beloved mother whilst transcending from a boy into a man, and those that have experienced this in their own lives will know how such can both directly and indirectly impact on their lives. It is equally destructive to have a father misconstrue grief as weakness, and demand that his sons move beyond that grief. Social demands and false expectations rooted in normative versions of masculinity are tools of destruction often used by people without understanding. Grief is not a weakness, and men are entitled to grieve for however long they need.
Such can mould a boy's psyche, forcing him into a world where honest emotion is made void, and tragedy and ever present reality. Then there are the other demands of adolescence which must find expression in the middle of all of this, and each boy finds himself forced to face the truth of themselves.
Anyone who has faced such a truth in their own lives knows that when presented with the brutal, honest reality of oneself in a time of grief, he or she either embraces that truth or flees from it. So it is with the three brothers portrayed in this mesmerising film. Two of them fail horribly, albeit in different ways. Whilst one emerges victorious, despite his own impediments and in a manner which surprises the audience.
Like most French cinema this film explores the dynamic of raw emotion, believing that the whole experience of art is within itself a demand for cinematic success. Pretty actors are within themselves not good enough, as the director forces each actor to face the bitter and uncomfortable. They have to experience the pain of the characters in order to portray them. The scripting is superb, with a strong leading dynamic, cleverly infused with comedy and wit. The actors ability to portray such is a testament to the Directors dynamic and their professionalism. He has indeed spent a great deal of time on the relationships portrayed in the film, and his success is without question.
One is left breathless, moved and enriched, as one should.
Three brothers as diverse as their internal struggles, face their inner demons after the untimely death of their mother. One implodes after descending into a world of grief and unsaid emotion, whilst his father seems incapable of understanding. Another finds compromise in conformity, believing that if he pleases his father and does what he is told, then there is no need to think on things past. Then there is the younger, who initially seems frail and in need of protection, only to emerge as the brother who least requires it despite the demands of his father.
It is indeed devastating to loose a beloved mother whilst transcending from a boy into a man, and those that have experienced this in their own lives will know how such can both directly and indirectly impact on their lives. It is equally destructive to have a father misconstrue grief as weakness, and demand that his sons move beyond that grief. Social demands and false expectations rooted in normative versions of masculinity are tools of destruction often used by people without understanding. Grief is not a weakness, and men are entitled to grieve for however long they need.
Such can mould a boy's psyche, forcing him into a world where honest emotion is made void, and tragedy and ever present reality. Then there are the other demands of adolescence which must find expression in the middle of all of this, and each boy finds himself forced to face the truth of themselves.
Anyone who has faced such a truth in their own lives knows that when presented with the brutal, honest reality of oneself in a time of grief, he or she either embraces that truth or flees from it. So it is with the three brothers portrayed in this mesmerising film. Two of them fail horribly, albeit in different ways. Whilst one emerges victorious, despite his own impediments and in a manner which surprises the audience.
Like most French cinema this film explores the dynamic of raw emotion, believing that the whole experience of art is within itself a demand for cinematic success. Pretty actors are within themselves not good enough, as the director forces each actor to face the bitter and uncomfortable. They have to experience the pain of the characters in order to portray them. The scripting is superb, with a strong leading dynamic, cleverly infused with comedy and wit. The actors ability to portray such is a testament to the Directors dynamic and their professionalism. He has indeed spent a great deal of time on the relationships portrayed in the film, and his success is without question.
One is left breathless, moved and enriched, as one should.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Much as I like the work of Christophe Honore who co-wrote this, and Gael Morel who directed, I do think the film has quite a few problems. In fact this is the second version of it I have bought, so I obviously don't think it is completely bad! However my liking has too much to do with the way the four actors look - indeed it is marvellous to see the three brothers and Salim Kechiouche as the friend. Thomas Dumerchez is very appealing as the youngest - who is gay - while Stephane Rideau is iconic like a young Brando, and Nicolas Cazale has a tremendous anger mixed up with his grief. But the film really isn't convincing, as they are presented in so homoerotic a light it doesn't make sense. When do three brothers sleep naked and intertwined, with the father looking on for no good reason? And would straight guys really be inclined to use a transvestite prostitute one after the other as if it were quite normal, or sit masturbating together to porn when they are in their twenties? The macho goings-on of the eldest seem straight out of a comic-book fantasy - and it is hard to believe what we are being shown is really the result of the mother's death - the drugs feud that Cazale is involved in would presumably be going on anyway and has nothing to do with it. And the device of having Dumerchez talk to her photo seems a not very convincing way of filling us in with vital information.
I really like these actors but I think they can all be seen to better effect elsewhere. In fact Morel's next film starred the lovely Dumerchez with Catherine Deneuve in a film that also explored grief, but rather better - Apres Lui (Zone 1 only). Salim Kechiouche is in The String - also a gay role - playing alongside Claudia Cardinale, and better still, in Ozon's Les amants criminels, while Rideau is blisteringly sexy both in Les Roseaux sauvages starring alongside Gael Morel, and in the sublime Presque Rien. Le Clan should be brilliant and it certainly looks amazing - just look at that cover embrace! - but it is really an interesting failure. And there is a scene of terrible animal cruelty - I'm sure it's faked but it is very disturbing nonetheless.
I really like these actors but I think they can all be seen to better effect elsewhere. In fact Morel's next film starred the lovely Dumerchez with Catherine Deneuve in a film that also explored grief, but rather better - Apres Lui (Zone 1 only). Salim Kechiouche is in The String - also a gay role - playing alongside Claudia Cardinale, and better still, in Ozon's Les amants criminels, while Rideau is blisteringly sexy both in Les Roseaux sauvages starring alongside Gael Morel, and in the sublime Presque Rien. Le Clan should be brilliant and it certainly looks amazing - just look at that cover embrace! - but it is really an interesting failure. And there is a scene of terrible animal cruelty - I'm sure it's faked but it is very disturbing nonetheless.
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