L'Enfer2005
L'Enfer (2005)
L'Enfer Photos
Movie Info
Cast
as Sophie
as Céline
as Anne
as The Mother
as Sébastien
as Pierre
as Frédéric
as The father
as Julie
as Joséphine
as Michelle
as Louis
as Ticket Inspector
as Bookseller
as Céline As a Child
as Sophie As a Child
as Anne As a Child
as Sébastien As a Child
as Neighbour
as Hotel Receptionist
as Man in Hotel Room
as Newspaper Seller
as Café Waiter Serving Anne
as Shop Assistant
as Phone Box Woman
as Taxi Driver
as Professor
as Professor
as Professor
as Barman Serving Céline
as Gynaecologist's Secretary
as College Café Staff
as Claire
as Philippe
as Frédéric's Older Son
as Frédéric's Younger Son
as Old Lady
as Girl Playing Hopscotch
as Girl Playing Hopscotch
as Girl Playing Hopscotch
as Priest
as Nurse
as Nurse
as Nursing Home Taxi Driver
as Young Married Man
as Young Married Woman
as Photographer's Assistant
as Model
as Model
as Girl in Photo
as Girl in Photo
as Lad Chatting With Anne in Café
as Man With Newspaper in Café
as Train Passenger
as Train Passenger
as Woman in Hotel Room
as Woman in Bed
Critic Reviews for L'Enfer
All Critics (9) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (6) | Rotten (3) | DVD (2)
A decidedly cold, protracted work marked by solid, but passionless performances and a preference for polished, fashion-magazine imagery.
For all its literary references, the thing certainly looks like a shallow though slick French melodrama.
The spectre of Kieslowski flutters through the film, but his eye and touch aren't there%u2014it's hard to watch L'Enfer without wondering, what would he have done?
The characters fascinate yet confuse. Surprisingly, the film keeps us at arms length. On reflection, I enjoyed the film more after it had finished, when I could dip back into this claustrophobic world and relive the unfolding of events in my mind.
Tanovic turns the drama of three damaged sisters... into a full-blooded opera with performances to match.
A multi-layered tale that's as compelling on a surface level as it is laden with food-for-thought underneath.
Audience Reviews for L'Enfer
Hell (L'Enfer as it's known in its native France) is the second film in a planned trilogy that began with the underrated Heaven directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi, based upon scripts by the late, great Krzsztof Kieslowksi (the Three Colours trilogy). The two films share little in common aside from their 'unclassifiableness' and their emotional power.
A difficult film to analyse, Hell, directed by Academy Award winner Danis Tanovic (No Man's Land) is overflowing with ideas concerning philosophy, psyche, and emotional detachment and yet is still accessible, unpretentious and, whilst it takes itself necessarily seriously, it is also sometimes blackly funny. There's an exceptional eye for detail that's appropriately worthy of Kieslowski himself; even the opening credits concerning the plight of a bird and the eggs she is watching is gripping and gives the first insight into some of the horror that lies ahead. Although, in all probability, as with Heaven, the title is meant to be ironic, for despite some excellently shot shocks, a pervading sense of dread and a creepily effective final scene, there is some hope to the characters' lives as the film unwinds its secrets.
Stunning cinematography, a thoughtful color scheme (each story thread seems to have its own tone), featuring a nicely dramatic music score and complimented by a trio of leading French actresses giving nuanced performances (Emmanuelle Béart, Karin Viard and Marie Gillain), Hell is very impressive.
Super Reviewer
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