‘A Silence Review: Joachim Lafosses Dark And Probing Pedophilia Drama Turns Decidedly Bleak
In the films of the Belgian writer Joachim Lafosse, families are torn from the inside and trapped by deep psychological baggage ( The Restless , Private Property ), extreme bad behavior ( Private Lessons , Carry On ) or a history of violence. ( our children ). In his latest film, the writer and director managed to combine all three in one film, focusing on a bourgeois group that gradually disintegrates as the guilt of the past and the present returns to them.
Like LaFosse's other works, Penetration is a masterfully constructed drama with Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Davos and newcomer Matthew Gallo in quietly funny roles. But it drags on too long, juxtaposes too many important events, spoils the emotional impact of too many revelations, and makes the plot less believable. After screening in Donostia, the film will continue with its festival and will then be shown in cinemas in France, Belgium and other European countries.
the silence
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The "silence" of the title is something that has long haunted the Schar family. You feel in the peaceful atmosphere of their town house, where criminal judge François (Auteuil) lives with his wife Astrid (Devos) and adopted son Raphael (Galoo). When these three accidentally bump into each other at odd hours of the day or night, there seems to be no brotherhood. Otherwise, everyone will stay where they are.
There is a reason for this - many reasons, many of which are revealed as the story progresses, some deep and dark family secrets. But the family was initially surprised by the increased media attention surrounding Francois' allegations of pederasty and murder. We don't know all the gruesome details that LaFoss and his three co-authors offer. But he attracts the local press, who are always at Sher's door asking when Francois arrives.
If this situation is not complicated enough - François has been representing young victims for five years and the trial took his life - it turns into a storm when the lawyer's daughter Caroline (Louise Chevillot) confronts Astrid about something. A tragic event happened in their family 25 years ago. Lafosse has had key information about this incident for a long time, and there's no point in spoiling it here. But, coincidentally or not, suffice it to say – and this is one of the main problems of the film – that François' professional and personal lives collide in the most unpleasant way and turn the house upside down.
The story is told primarily from Astrid's point of view, which includes not only her husband, but also Rafael, a mentally challenged high school student, who struggles with the consequences of the visions that enter the courtroom. In the second half of the film, the point of view between mother and son begins to shift, showing how both are forced to endure Francois' unspeakable actions and behavior. LaFoss asks another question: Can you forgive a loved one for past offenses or do you need serious mental health help? Or should they be punished?
Such questions seem to be the specialty of Lafosse, whose 2012 Cannes Best Picture-winning director Our Children somehow makes viewers empathize deeply with the woman who murdered her five children. But here - and despite some of the skepticism coming our way - it's hard to get behind Francois when there's so much evidence against him.
And that's one of the main problems with the film's structure: too much happens in too little time - a big trial, a big family secret suddenly revealed, a new big crime committed by François or Raphael - it's all orchestrated. Loyalty, even if the events are thematically linked both psychologically and criminally.
Lafosse has never been the happiest of directors, but Silence may be his worst film to date. From the opening shot, ordinary cinematographer Jean-Francois Hengens dramatically transforms the action, showing a section of a rain-soaked car window as Astrid goes to meet the policeman (Jean Cheral) who is chasing Francois. A claustrophobic view, where we never know the whole truth and the walls seem to close in forever, sums up the situation in the ball pit.
It's a dark script, but that doesn't mean a movie about child abuse and murder has to be funny and exciting. But Lafosse may make the soup too thick this time, and as he re-examines the characters' moral failings in the face of dark truths, his judgment seems to arrive.
