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Tristan
2003 Crime / Thriller
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Summary
Emmanuelle Barsac, a young police commissioner, is distracted from her investigations
into the Bulgarian mafia by the suicide of a young woman. Before she died, the unfortunate
woman was caught up in an intense love affair with a man who persuaded her to break all
ties with her friends and family. Soon after, Emmanuelle is alerted to a second
suicide, with virtually identical circumstances to the first. Both victims kept
a diary in which the course of the romance appears identical, and each woman received
a leather-bound copy of “Tristan and Iseult” from their fatal lover.
Convinced that a serial killer is at work, Emmanuelle begins her investigation, unaware
that it may bring about her own destruction…
Critique
This deliciously composed psychological thriller would be almost perfect were it not for
a plot which is, at best, implausible, and a denouement which is both rushed and more
than a little silly. Like any good thriller, the film has no difficulty holding
its audience’s attention but, in contrast to an exceptionally
good thriller, the intrigue and fascination leads ultimately nowhere. Evidently,
the journey is far more rewarding than the arrival: the film is high on Hitchcockian style,
but disappointingly low on substance.
Most of the deficiencies of the plot are easily overlooked thanks, largely, to Philippe Harel’s confident direction (which offers more than a passing nod to the masters of the thriller genre) and some fine contributions from a talented cast. Mathilde Seigner makes a good tough police inspector, uncompromising and spontaneous, although had she shown a softer, more vulnerable, side we might have felt more sympathy for her character. Oddly, the supporting characters are better drawn and portrayed than the film’s main character – from the mysterious Tristan to Emmanuelle’s cosy parents, not to overlook Jean-Jacques Vanier’s poignant portrayal of Emmanuelle’s luckless assistant, Cadoret. Some unexpected comic touches remind us that the film isn’t to be taken too seriously, so the best way to appreciate this latest Harel offering is probably with one’s tongue pressed firmly against one’s cheek. © James Travers 2005 Write a review for this film... |
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