Jaloux

Thomas and Marianne are constantly fighting. Thomas borrows his uncle's lakeside cabin for a weekend getaway. Their car breaks down on the way. There is no phone connection. They find a mysterious stranger who claims to be Ben the neighbor. He's actually a criminal who has left the neighbor tied up. They befriend the mysterious stranger and later discovering that Ben is not who he says he is. His name is really Jean Messier.

This could have been a much better thriller. It could have been a great horror. It could have been a lot of things but it's too slow to be anything. It takes too long. It doesn't build up the tension. It's not scary. It's not compelling. It's not actually a mystery since the movie shows fake 'Ben' and his criminality right away.

To be frank, at the end of the movie this is not quite different from many such thriller movies. But the way this movie is shot is incredible. There is nothing, that is part of typical entertainers, and there is hardly anything which goes over board anywhere. The pace is even lower than moderate, but it is unbelievable that even with such a slow pace, the movie kept me really engaged. In fact I felt so curious about what next. We definitely know that there is something wrong and sneaky about this so called neighbor who welcomes our couple. But it is told in such a nice way that it takes us to the limits of curiosity. I thought it was brilliant.

And finally, when the truth comes out it looks even brilliant. Without any explanations what so ever, the director tells us calmly what happened. And there is a kind of calm shock engulfing us. I am not sure shock is the right word here. But we take this truth calmly and feel for it.

Both the script and the director is brilliant. All actors, especially the guy who played the neighbor and Marianne, were brilliant. And the cinematography is simply brilliant. This looks like a very low cost production. But it is quite an example to prove good cinema, even a thriller, do not require huge financial support.

I really wish, this movie was widely seen. I would recommend it for anybody who is really interested in good cinema.