The
Page Turner
By
Caroline Planque
Posted
May 20,
2007
Revenge is a dish better eaten cold. Add to that a few Chabrolesque
elements: the setting (a huge bourgeois mansion
on the outskirts of
Paris) and
characters (Ariane, a
talented
concert pianist and Melanie, a young woman who,
years ago, failed the Conservatory exam
entrance) and you've got the plot of Denis
Dercourt's latest feature.
Like a spider, Mélanie slowly and patiently weaves
her web around her victim. She makes herself
indispensable to Ariane, gains her trust and creates a
relation of dependence, waiting to strike and hurt not only
Ariane, but also her family and her colleague musicians.
In this twisted
story vaguely reminiscent of La Ceremonie and All
About Eve, Catherine excels in the role of
Ariane, while the subdued Deborah
François (Mélanie) remains emotionless for most
of the movie.
You never really feel drawn to the characters or
the story, even though you know from the
beginning where it is headed. Ultimately, the film holds well
together but lacks the quirkiness of the "maitre du genre", Mr
Chabrol.
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2006 All content property of European Weekly unless where otherwise
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