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Selected for competition in Cannes this year and the closing film at Singapore's French Film Festival, Don't Look Back is a rather straight-forward psychological drama starring two European actresses who would need no introduction in Monica Bellucci and Sophie Marceau playing the same role of Jeanne, or so it seems.

We're introduced to Sophie's version first, where she's attempting to write a novel after a series of successful non-fiction works, for the sole reason of revisiting her much forgotten, and likely repressed past. Despite her publisher's persuasion to abandon the idea because it's only to dig up some skeletons best left hidden, she forges forward and bit by bit discovers that she's starting to lose her mind, where furniture starts to be in places she no longer remembers, and family members start to look physically different, which of course is enough for anyone to freak out. And the icing of the cake, she morphs from French looking Sophie Marceau, to the Italian babe Monica Bellucci. Which is not a bad thing of course, considering one can morph into somebody less attractive or endowed even.

In the meantime, we're left to wonder if Jeanne (in whichever version) is starting to lose it, whether it could be an extreme and early onset of the Alzheimer's, as roads become unrecognizable, husbands become someone else, and scars disappear and reappear. It's an extreme case of severe identity crisis where one is thankful that it doesn't take the cop-out route and make everyone wake up from a bad nightmare.

It's an extremely well made psychological piece which explores the fear that comes with losing the things that we hold dear, and also the uncomfortable sense of being outside an established comfort zone, journeying into the big unknown, deducing what actually is happening, despite not knowing where to start, and the developing suspicion that everyone is in on the joke, except for yourself.

It's tough to compare who was the better Jeanne, because Sophie disappears for the most part from the second act onwards. Screen time shared by both actresses in the same frame is extremely limited as well, so we'd only get to savour one sold performance after another, turn-based. There's a proper explanation to everything that's happening, though one has to be patient in order to allow the narrative to reveal itself in due course. So meanwhile, accept what's presented, and try to piece together the jigsaw yourself.

Jeanne (Sophie Marceau) is an author with her latest failing attempt. However things start to change around her. She notices changes in her family, her home, and eventually even herself. She wonders if she's losing her sanity as the new Jeanne gets played by Monica Bellucci.

It's an interesting concept taking a page out of David Lynch's playbook such as 'Lost Highway'. It has potential, and possesses some intriguing qualities at first. Sophie Marceau's manic mental disintegration holds some fascination.

However the facial morphing and the weird after effects distracts from the acting. It is a constant confusion of whether or who in the family has changed. In many way, it falls prey to the same problem that David Lynch had. It feels very gimmicky.

Director Marina de Van has been quite inconsistent in both her writing and directing over the years. While flawed, I really enjoyed Dans Ma Peau (In my Skin) and my interest in her was certainly piqued. 8 femmes (8 Women) was fun despite being formulaic but the real draw was the ensemble cast of lovely and talented French women.

When I read about Ne Te Retourne Pas I was very, very excited. It sounded like a return to the darkness of Dans Ma Peau and featured two of my favorite actresses.

I've found most French efforts to emulate Hollywood to be immensely disappointing and this film is walking a fine line between something surreal/arty and something painfully derivative. The atmosphere is pretty creepy, the visual effects/makeup are used in a very interesting fashion and the performances from Marceau and Bellucci are good but this film doesn't really follow through with the promises it makes in the first 20 minutes.

A mediocre film overall and it's really sad to see talent like Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci go to waste.

And to not give things away, you're not sure whether there's a psychological thriller or some odd crime-horror thing going on until near the end. Fortunately, it does stay consistent with the story it tells, so the ending isn't illogical or a surprise simply for the sake of surprise.

As is becoming more common recently, you're dropped into the story from the character's point of view with no setup and only minimal context, seeing the world almost completely through her eyes.

It also brings in some interesting facial/body visual FX morphing to help tell the story, so fans of the main actresses get their wish in seeing what they might look like if combined.

There are a few annoying plot inconsistencies and story development limitations, but if you ever wondered what a chick-flick thriller might be like, you now have an answer.

I must admit I envy the viewers that raved about this film in their reviews. My intelligence is not that vast. In reality, my intelligence is quite-quite limited, so I can only say that if during the first 15 minutes or so of watching this movie I was enthralled with it, little by little, because of its incredibly twisted story line, I was starting to have so many doubts and questions about the goings on on the screen, that eventually I lost interest in this very confusing dark movie.

Many-many things don't make any sense, for example, Bellucci, all of a sudden develops a very noticeable limping --no explanation for it-- in order to lose it completely for the next scene and thereafter.

What?

What happened?

Was she surgically intervened from an old crippling paralysis while the lights were set for the next scene or was just a shoe too small given to her by an unscrupulous wardrobe mistress?

The change of actresses was done digitally in a very fascinating way, like in "The Legend of the Wolf", but much more subdued.

The intervention of digital effects in straight movies will be, from now on, a fascinating tool to tell stories and also because unexpected in this kind of movies.

Well, the whole thing attempted to be a superb movie, but it fell down on its face with a fatal crush.

" Don't look back ", a good psychological drama with elements of horror,but I am surprised that it's the low rating on IMDb. Film is very good and interesting.

This movie was painful to watch. It started out with a solid premise (sort of) but then it lost clarity of the plot and muddled and morphed into pure atmospherics before a revelatory (sort of) twist at the end that did not really explain much at the time. The general feeling of suspense was quite effective, but the storyline poor and terribly inconsistent, and at some point the perception settled in that there is no rhyme or logic to this, and it's just inner workings of an insane mind that there is no reason that I should care about. In retrospect, when many incoherences have faded in my memory, the story makes more sense, yet the movie itself failed to effectively deliver its meaning during watching, and the only interest that kept me going was to see if this mess would have any kind of a logical conclusion. I think a mystery of this kind works well if viewers are periodically given cues that allow them to at least entertain some hypotheses in the expectation of the finale. On the contrary, Ne te retourne pas just kept piling incomprehensible visuals betting on the excitement of all puzzle pieces fitting together in the last 10 min. A lost bet with me indeed. What a waste of Monica Belucci and Sofie Marceau!

Many angles are possible to represent personality disorders. Delivering an exciting movie with this subject is a challenge which I believe writer/director Marina de Van succeeded with beautifully. The tension and attention span gradually increase as does the spectator disorientation with subtly changing details to full decors. The physical changes are superbly rendered and here again the spectator starts to loose his/her reference points. In other words, we are inside Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci and move with her/them to try and understand. Both actresses perform splendidly and beyond feeling for their life's search, one leaves the movie with a strong bond for both personalities. In summary, I liked the movie for the storyline, the subtle crescendo along the time line, the actresses performance and the total attention span to try and understand (if I had been part of their life, I would have tried to help, but probably to no avail). I am a little sad for the low rating (6 at the time of this review).

Marina De Van's 'Ne Te Retourne Pas' is a complex psychological puzzle and an engaging watch. Starring the world's two of the most beautiful actresses, it definitely grabs the attention of us straight males and lesbians. One can definitely expect sensuality but this movie is much more than that.

First of all their are various ways to interpret the story and 'conclusion'. It's a layered story but one that is open to interpretation. I won't say much else about it because it is best for the viewer to experience and understand it in their own way rather than me telling them how to see it. The lead character is excellently written and we see most of the film from her point of view. At times the situations are confusing and questions, with many possible answers, are raised.

Right from cinematography, location, visualization, art direction, score and makeup, the execution is solid. The special effects department have done a great job. The only time it is noticeable was the CGI of hybrid Tio's face. The freaky Marceau-Bellucci hybrid is well done. The switch from France to Italy is interesting but it makes sense too. It adds a new dimension to the story. The switch from language is fluidly done and it helps that Bellucci is fluent in Italian and French.

The performances are first rate but it is the two spellbinding lead actresses that walk away with glory. While the beautiful Marceau already has made a name for herself in international cinema, one only has to see the sensational Bellucci's acclaimed non-American films to see what a fine actress she is. 'Ne Te Retourne Pas' is their film as both play the same character with sheer conviction.

This is either the kind of movie one either likes or hates or hasn't formed an opinion of. It isn't everyone's cup of tea but it is one that you will be thinking or talking about long after the end credits have rolled. Personally, I like films that have that kind of effect, positively and while many so-called abstract films do have a pretentious quality to them, in my opinion, thankfully this isn't one of them.

Wow!!! This was actually pretty entertaining. I love the way they change the language to French to Italian. Love Monica Belluci she is just to beautiful to see in person as well in film. The suspense and story were very interesting and that what kept me into it. The story develops so beautifully done and it just keeps you until the end of the seat, these foreign films don't mind going over the top in showing us what we the viewers want to see, and men they do deliver what we want to see, packed with a great story, great acting and just a beautiful done twist at the end, I give " Don't Look Back" a 7 out of 10 Stars.

I believe this might be the first collaboration between S. Marceau and M. Belucci. Though I'm not sure about that, I am sure about the fact, that both are not only astonishingly good looking, but can act! Which is something that is needed here. The story has to have solid acting to hold itself above water (so to speak).

There is quite a bit of CG going on here, which might distract some people, but it is necessary and helps the story move along. Unfortunately the very strong beginning almost gets lost completely toward the ending. "It's just another one of those", might be one of the reactions this movie gets (that's me assuming).

On other news, Sophie stays completely clothed, but Monica as ever is not afraid to show a little "flesh". But don't expect anything too arousing, with the things that are going on ... I hope to see both of them in another movie ... and maybe it will be possible to top that (it actually is very possible).

"I don't recognize anything. Not even my own face."

Don't Look Back isn't an easy movie to wrap my thoughts around and review, and unfortunately, it also wasn't very appealing. Despite the irresistible presence of Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci, I found it hard to finish this movie. That's quite an accomplishment, now that I think about it. 

What we have here is an effort to communicate the perspective of a woman whose home, family, and very appearance seem to be (literally and drastically) changing before her eyes. It confuses her, and I can virtually guarantee that it will confuse you, too. Don't Look Back is not a challenging movie (I'm guessing that's the intent with which it was created), it's a nonsensical one. 

There's a definite attempt here to make a psychological thriller in the mold of Polanski's Repulsion mixed with a hefty serving of Lynch-style weirdness and mystery, but it's not grounded in anything substantial, captivatingly surreal, atmospheric, or ultimately human. At best, it's this movie is based on a potentially good idea run horribly amok. At worst, it's an overly long train-wreck with no point that unfortunately squanders two stunning and talented actresses. Aside from one of two interesting sequences, Don't Look Back isn't worth the trouble or the frustration.

First of all this film is what it is in terms of being a slower-paced, somewhat overacted french drama. Some people like this stuff, some definitely do NOT, and others can appreciate it for what it is. I probably fall into the last category and have enjoyed several kind of peculiar foreign films (How Much Do You Love Me? and Irreversible for a couple amazing Belucci performances and things like Dogtooth as well for *very* off-kilter plot and themes) but this one is definitely barely deserving of the 6-star average.

I felt like the whole time it was going to open up and really delve into whatever was being very very painstakingly teased about the first female lead character, Sophie Marceau's Jeanne, but while the acting and somewhat creepy SFX's held my attention for a good quarter of the movie, at about the 45 minute mark I could not stand the fact that so much drama was being expended over so little actual storytelling. Literally you see a mysterious girl (who looks very much like Belucci might have as a much younger girl... that's the only reason many are watching this movie after all --Monica B. that is-- so at least they acknowledge her early), Marceau's character losing and gaining some scars, becoming very frightened, letting her husband try to make her feel better with the male go-to of let's sex, and then her flipping out all over him..repeated a good 3 times before any getting any inkling of where the script is really moving towards. So for a good portion of this movie yeah you're going to have to appreciate the task of trying to keep your eyes off the landscape of France and the female leads long enough to read repetitive dialogue that really does nothing more than remind you you're being conned into watching this movie because of either: a) belucci b) crazy twists!! c) you like french, but aren't actually getting much back for buying into the premise. It wouldn't be so bad if the synopsis and even the poster didn't act like this was some high-octane, fast-burning mystery/thriller because for anyone thinking it's that, it really is just not at all what you're thinking.

I think people who have experienced something very moving in their life that has had longterm implications for them emotionally and psychologically or are just emotionally charged people in general (women especially I'd imagine) you might definitely enjoy the payoff and the exotic atmosphere that does exist in a pretty consistent state throughout. This is a non-spoiler write-up so discussing the plot's conclusion is no good but yeah the ending will definitely be feel-good for many in the way a thoughtful chick-flick or family film can be. But for more critical viewers who think of intriguing and puzzling stories coming from more well-known and reputable wheel-houses like David lynch or the Cohen brothers, this aspect at least of Don't Look Back falls very flat.

By all reason, twenty minutes is too soon to begin forming a concrete opinion of a film that's a little shy of two hours long. Even as we try to keep an open mind and wait for the picture to prove itself, however, it's hard not to make judgments rather quickly. For example, we're quite used to thrillers and genre flicks giving us a scene in early exposition that in its dialogue will hold the key to the plot to follow, or at least lay out major themes and big ideas. When that happens here, within the first few minutes, the inclusion feels rather club-footed and gawky - and more awkward still for the fact that two spoken lines will come to feel entirely too on the nose as a description of the overall quality. The fact that a second scene to follow, before thirty minutes have elapsed, echoes that tack of plainspoken, premature explanation - well, it's not encouraging. Beyond this, the writing and more so the direction feel extraordinarily, hopelessly heavy-handed, and emptily so. The odd goings-on and protagonist Jeanne's uncertain perceptions boil down to a two-person dispute of "this isn't normal" and "no, it is"; Jeanne's reactions are over the top right from the start; while we viewers are supposed to glean discrepancies between imagery in video and still photographs and the sets as they present, the inclusions are thrust in our faces and withdrawn again so quickly that we can only take at face value that "sure, okay, I guess something's amiss, okey-dokey." And in a more general sense, shots and scenes are thrown at us (by way of cinematography, pacing, editing, or again the writing or direction) with a stunning forthrightness that is intended to elicit a reaction, but instead is only flummoxing, and not in a good way.

Despite the renown and skills of Sophie Marceau, Andrea Di Stefano, Monica Bellucci, and others - and the readily apparent skills in and of themselves of those behind the scenes - it's not a good start for 'Don't look back.' From the get-go it's evident that the title is proceeding with proposed thriller vibes, but it doesn't actually seem capable of producing those feelings. I refer again to those early scenes that seems to spill all the proverbial beans before the plot has even especially gone anywhere: the movie is like a a single, wide, unmistakable black line being painted horizontally across a wall, after a short time being expanded with another such line in tandem. But even as the feature gives us these emphatic through lines so early, connective threads from these to every idea and beat to follow are flimsy if not altogether absent; instead, too much just comes off as ideas thrown at a wall. Those two early lines were very prophetic after all, in the worst of ways: "There's stuff here. But only isolated images." Marina de Van's film is filled with many, many kernels of potential, delightful possibilities, smart bits and pieces that with proper care and attentive dispensation could result in a rich, fabulously engrossing, impactful viewing experience. The myriad changes Jeanne perceives, the production design and art direction, the hair and makeup, the effects, the cinematography, the sound design and effects, the narrative itself: employed judiciously, all this could and should have been tremendous. Luc Rollinger's score is outstanding, a panoply of unnerving themes tickling our eyes to add atmosphere. I repeat that all involved give strong performances. But the execution, the ties that bind all together, are thin at best and deeply unconvincing.

With a delicate hand, more careful writing, and more mindful application of every story idea and element, this might have been the absorbing psychological drama it wants to be. As it is, this 2009 picture is instead just kind of laborious. I won't say that it's not interesting, because I recognize what it tried, and what all involved contributed to the production. I just don't think it works. By the time the third act rolls around, tying everything together, I've already checked out and am just finishing the remainder out of a sense of commitment. De Van and co-writer Jacques Akchoti penned a tale that on paper is wonderful, tragic and compelling. In execution, sadly, it flounders. I'm glad for those who get more out of this than I do, but for me the problems just stack up too high and too rapidly to earn my favor. I want to like 'Don't look back' more than I do, and I wish nothing but the best for all involved. Nonetheless, I most assuredly will not be looking back on this.