Entre ses mains

As one of my missions is to impart enthusiasms I very rarely write about a bad film or one I don't like. Just occasionally however I will take a scalpel (the weapon used in "In His Hands") to demolish one that has made me really angry. Generally I avoid remakes like the plague particularly if the originals are wonderful. Curiosity once got the better of me and I sampled the more recent version of "Cry the Beloved Country" originally so sensitively and beautifully directed by Zoltan Korda in the late 'forties. What a disaster! Never again! After that you can keep your second time round "Brief Encounters", "Psychos" and "Manchurian Candidates". My anger at "In His Hands" is that it does not acknowledge it is a remake so that I was trapped halfway through with the realisation that I had been conned into watching a regurgitated version of Chabrol's masterly "Le Boucher" which, as a psychological thriller, in my opinion, eclipsed everything Hitchcock ever made. For "Tremolat" read "Lille", for "schoolmistress" read "insurance agent", for "butcher" read "vet" and there you have it, the same type of serial killings gradually creeping from the background to the foreground of the plot, the same motivation, the same relationship between the two central characters, the same ending. Whatever possessed the creators of this film to disguise this plagiarised abortion of a masterpiece and pass it off as something new beggars belief. I suppose that, in itself and were it not for the original, "In His Hands" is a passable thriller. However for those of us who adore "Le Boucher" this health warning is essential.

In Lille, Claire Gauthier (Isabelle Carré) is an ordinary married woman with a young daughter that works in an insurance company analyzing losses of insured properties. When the single veterinary Laurent Kessler (Benoît Poelvoorde) claims damage in his basement caused by a flooding due to water leakage, Claire resolves the situation favorably for him. The weird Laurent visits Claire in her office successively, inviting her for drinks and lunch, and they get close to each other. Meanwhile, a serial killer is terrorizing Lille, killing women with a scalpel. Claire feels a great attraction for Laurent, who has an unusual behavior in her apartment. When Claire sees a scalpel in the pocket of Laurent's jacket, she fears him, but still loves him.

"Entre Ses Mains" is a weird romance between a common but charming woman that seems to have a perfect marriage and a strange and lonely veterinary. Isabelle Carré and Benoît Poelvoorde have magnificent performances, slowly developing the relationship between Claire and Laurent, with some slight touches of eroticism and tension, but never falling in the easy way of the sadomasochism, as I expected that would happen based on the mixed feelings of fear and love of Claire. There is no explanation for the behavior of Claire, feeling attraction for a man with antagonistic attitudes but only things of love. However, the ambiguous conclusion is a little disappointing. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Em Suas Mãos" ("In Your Hands")

As a thriller, this movie must be one of the most "laid-back" kind of psychological 'who-done- it' criminal survey of the human potential for understanding and/or entropy of the freckled- mind ... Both main actors are just "plainly" superb and truth-worthy... Isabele Care is so natural and Poolvoorde so much "evil"...without "pathos"...The general feel or attitude rendition by the actors is just right to the point, with a naive witness and an faulted main character, whom reveals witness' ambivalent attitude and feelings toward the same perceived sick or morally tainted "main" character"...All subtle and slightly perceived, apparently superficiality felt by main "witness" character... Just incredibly well understood and acted by both main characters !

This is a terrific role for Benoit Poelvoorde, so ambivalent, ambiguous. It seems that this actor is made for this genre or character. See for instance his first long length feature C'EST ARRIVE PRES DE CHEZ VOUS. This is a good character study, the relationship between a young insurance agent, mother of a young kid and married with an ambitious husband, and a veterinary, who happens to be someone different from what he seems to show himself. This scheme is not new at all but if it is done properly, you can't get tired of it. This is not GASLIGHT nor SHADOW OF A DOUBT though, despite the obvious Hitchcock inspiration. Isabelle Carré is also excellent. Pooelverde in nearly the same kind of topic in Fabrice Du Welz INEXORABLE.

Anne Fontaine's movies always have some kind of strange relationships. In this particular one, a nice sweet girl, an insurance company employee, meets a strange vet who is quite mysterious ans fascinating, while a serial killer with a scalpel kills women in the area : we are just like Isabelle Carré (perfect as usual), because Benoît Poelvoorde is a pure magnet. We have always known him as a very funny comedian and it's quite a revelation to see him play this obscure character. Apparently, he was quite traumatized to play this part and he says in magazines he never will play that kind of thing again : that would be a shame !