Un Secret

Another wonderful French film. Francois is a thin and physically weak child of a gymnast father and elegant swimmer mother. The film opens in the 1950s and it becomes clear that he is a grave disappointment to his parents. Cutting to the present (and to black and white photography) father Maxine has disappeared following the death of his beloved dog, believing he his to blame for the dog's death. Gradually the film goes back into the past of Francois and his parents. The boy had made a discovery in the attic realising that his cold and detached parents do not want to talk about their past, the truth is revealed by a friendly adult who has known the couple throughout their lives. The secret is a pretty massive one, involving betrayal, death and dishonour. Suffice it to say the early realisation that the couple are Jewish gives a hint of what might be to come. The story line is a bit clunky in places, the frequent cutting backwards and forwards requires great concentration, but the passion comes through with looks and few words. Immensely believable and oh so tragic - the audience at the showing I went to (mainly of older patrons) were deeply moved, and some were in tears at the end. The mother, Tania, is played with just the degree of elegant aloofness that belied the underlying suppressed emotions. An interesting technique of showing some sections in black and white didn't entirely come off, but still worth a 8/10 rating.