L'humanité (1999)
Country: FR
Technical: col/Panavision 148m
Director: Bruno Dumont
Cast: Emmanuel Schotté, Séverine Caneele, Philippe Tullier, Ghislain Ghesquière
Synopsis:
In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais a paedophile murders an eleven year-old girl; the local police lieutenant is profoundly affected by it, and by his desire for the girl nextdoor who takes him out on dates with her bus driver boyfriend.
Review:
Shot in long, deliberate takes with little camera movement, this dour character study is a sleek piece of work which delivers some frank visual punches and saves its biggest surprise for last. Dividing the critics, some of whom attacked it for pretentiousnes, it does at times come over as a parody of a certain type of French film. Cumulatively, though, it can be seen to be scrutinising its examples of humanity the better to know them; as its hero stares blankly, so does the camera, and nor do they condemn what they see.
Country: FR
Technical: col/Panavision 148m
Director: Bruno Dumont
Cast: Emmanuel Schotté, Séverine Caneele, Philippe Tullier, Ghislain Ghesquière
Synopsis:
In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais a paedophile murders an eleven year-old girl; the local police lieutenant is profoundly affected by it, and by his desire for the girl nextdoor who takes him out on dates with her bus driver boyfriend.
Review:
Shot in long, deliberate takes with little camera movement, this dour character study is a sleek piece of work which delivers some frank visual punches and saves its biggest surprise for last. Dividing the critics, some of whom attacked it for pretentiousnes, it does at times come over as a parody of a certain type of French film. Cumulatively, though, it can be seen to be scrutinising its examples of humanity the better to know them; as its hero stares blankly, so does the camera, and nor do they condemn what they see.
Country: FR
Technical: col/Panavision 148m
Director: Bruno Dumont
Cast: Emmanuel Schotté, Séverine Caneele, Philippe Tullier, Ghislain Ghesquière
Synopsis:
In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais a paedophile murders an eleven year-old girl; the local police lieutenant is profoundly affected by it, and by his desire for the girl nextdoor who takes him out on dates with her bus driver boyfriend.
Review:
Shot in long, deliberate takes with little camera movement, this dour character study is a sleek piece of work which delivers some frank visual punches and saves its biggest surprise for last. Dividing the critics, some of whom attacked it for pretentiousnes, it does at times come over as a parody of a certain type of French film. Cumulatively, though, it can be seen to be scrutinising its examples of humanity the better to know them; as its hero stares blankly, so does the camera, and nor do they condemn what they see.