I was very pleased to see a Maud Adams film that was new to me, I'm a fan of hers. And this certainly is a very odd film!
I did enjoy the it and it held my interest. I do have a complaint about the plot, it's structure could have been improved upon. There were no real hints of it having a supernatural twist at the end. With some films it works, a complete surprise ending. 'From Dusk Till Dawn' springs to mind, changing from a thriller to a vampire film, with success. You can connect Ariel and her mothers dislike of each other to the films outcome but that was only a slight hint. Was there was more there than a simple disfunctional mother/daughter relationship? Ariel also picked up a book while hiding in a shop after having escaped the mental home. This was a completely random situation, the book describes the woman Ariel is eventually revealed to be, someone who needs to bathe in the blood of virgins to remain forever young. The book store's owner is later found dead.
While watching this film I didn't make any connection to the book, but it had some purpose, with only a little success.
Maud is excellent in this film as Ariel Dubois. There is little glamour in this, a mental home and the streets of a french town, as the settings. But Maud looks as beautiful as ever, even with less than great costumes. Realism is created via the wardrobe but they should have been slightly improved. Maud's red dress when Ariel is revealed is very much like a temptress' dress.
Scott Renderer acts well in this movie, as Ariel's doctor. I'd never heard of him before. There is a slight casting error in the fact that he is the only obvious American actor. There is no problem, in my eyes, with the France setting and the cast being all English speaking, it's common sense for a mass audience but the rest of the cast sound European, especially exotic Maud, and so Scott Renderer stands out as American.
Françoise Brion, as Ariel's moth, is good casting. She performs her purpose well, especially near the ending, when she is walking around the house with a knife, tension mounts. The scene where she 'lashes out' at Ariel in the cafe seems a little over-the-top but perhaps it would be, given the circumstances.
The supporting cast (head doctor at the mental home, shop owner and the detective) all function well, good casting again.
The directing is okay, nothing particualrly smart or new is done. Editing is fine, apart for moments where it apparently cuts for ad breaks and there weren't any on my recording.
This is certainly an excellent film Maud has made, one of my favourites of hers.
I did enjoy the it and it held my interest. I do have a complaint about the plot, it's structure could have been improved upon. There were no real hints of it having a supernatural twist at the end. With some films it works, a complete surprise ending. 'From Dusk Till Dawn' springs to mind, changing from a thriller to a vampire film, with success. You can connect Ariel and her mothers dislike of each other to the films outcome but that was only a slight hint. Was there was more there than a simple disfunctional mother/daughter relationship? Ariel also picked up a book while hiding in a shop after having escaped the mental home. This was a completely random situation, the book describes the woman Ariel is eventually revealed to be, someone who needs to bathe in the blood of virgins to remain forever young. The book store's owner is later found dead.
While watching this film I didn't make any connection to the book, but it had some purpose, with only a little success.
Maud is excellent in this film as Ariel Dubois. There is little glamour in this, a mental home and the streets of a french town, as the settings. But Maud looks as beautiful as ever, even with less than great costumes. Realism is created via the wardrobe but they should have been slightly improved. Maud's red dress when Ariel is revealed is very much like a temptress' dress.
Scott Renderer acts well in this movie, as Ariel's doctor. I'd never heard of him before. There is a slight casting error in the fact that he is the only obvious American actor. There is no problem, in my eyes, with the France setting and the cast being all English speaking, it's common sense for a mass audience but the rest of the cast sound European, especially exotic Maud, and so Scott Renderer stands out as American.
Françoise Brion, as Ariel's moth, is good casting. She performs her purpose well, especially near the ending, when she is walking around the house with a knife, tension mounts. The scene where she 'lashes out' at Ariel in the cafe seems a little over-the-top but perhaps it would be, given the circumstances.
The supporting cast (head doctor at the mental home, shop owner and the detective) all function well, good casting again.
The directing is okay, nothing particualrly smart or new is done. Editing is fine, apart for moments where it apparently cuts for ad breaks and there weren't any on my recording.
This is certainly an excellent film Maud has made, one of my favourites of hers.