Não Conte à Ninguém

The pediatrician Alexandre Beck (François Cluzet) misses his beloved wife Margot Beck (Marie-Josée Croze), who was brutally murdered eight years ago when he was the prime suspect. When two bodies are found near where the corpse of Margot was dumped, the police reopen the case and Alex becomes suspect again. The mystery increases when Alex receives an e-mail showing Margot older and alive.

I am a big fan of French cinema, but "Ne le Dis à Personne" is an awesome thriller and superseded my expectations. The story and the characters are well-developed and there are simply no flaws in the complex plot, with all the situations being perfectly explained. The cast is fantastic, giving credibility to their characters. Only now I have seen the number of awards and nominations of this great film. Congratulations, the people that made this film really deserve them. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Não Conte a Ninguém" ("Do not Tell Anybody")

Note: On 09 Oct 2021, I saw this film again.

A very good second film for this young director, and in a genre which is not always a "day at the beach" for french directors... I'm not talking about directors like Melville or others of that generation, but for some of Canet's generation which prefer too easily to use sophisticated special effects and endless fights to fill up their scenes. Canet always stays close, very close to his characters and their feelings, and his storyline/plot and gives the audience an excellent humanistic suspense…

The film exists by itself, and doesn't need to be compared to the novel (that I read and liked), because it's transposed in another culture, with different rhythms, variations in the original characters

**** SPOILERS*****

(thanks Mr. Canet for making the psychopath "fingers" killer … a woman ! . Good idea !. And François Berleand, as a police inspector who has a little obsessive-compulsive disorder, and giving yourself the most disgusting part). Excellent choices that add subtle details to the french version.

Two hours of good cinema, good directing of actors, and needless to say that François Cluzet is a great great actor (Gee, brought me to tears at the end, very moving last scene BTW).

An excellent adaptation, well directed, not pretentious ! Canet gets his degree. Congratulations !

This movie is just amazing well scripted,acted with lots of twists. It worked as a slow burner for me with it's long duration. It didn't bore me at all,kept me hooked whole time.

Based on a mystery writer's novel which I've not read, the film succeeds courtesy of some great acting. So often a mystery is put together with clues and red herrings, and then at the end you fold a puzzle piece and voila it fits. I think it appeals to the clockwork mind, and as their is often crime involved, there is a sense of some extracurricular guidance towards justice.

While this film has that, and action moves like car chases, pistol whipping and a lengthy running script (the kind Tom Cruise would demand be inserted in a film of his), Francois Cluzet holds the center of the film in more gentle hands. He's a good guy, even when mixed up with the bad guys, he brings out their inherent benevolence. You go, Bruno!

Films like this hinge upon believing that bad moves are really the best moves one can take, the story and acting help sell that here in my opinion. In real life, I think in most cases perhaps not as intricate as this, I would Tell Some One, and likely an authority. Granted plenty of films from America North and South, make clear the dangers of corrupt cops and who watches the watchers. Maybe in Europe, things could be different.

Again for the genre, experts might not enjoy this (or pick it apart for a variety of reasons). But I was able to just enjoy the people on screen foremost (always helps to have Nathalie Baye involved), and then the pacing and plot.

Nice to see the director hatched the script and put himself in the mix on screen as well. Recommend you watch it, and then figure out the right someone to tell to see it next.

Also excellent music throughout, especially that closing track.

Pediatrician Alexandre Beck (François Cluzet) and his wife Margot (Marie-Josée Croze) are skinny-dipping at the lake late at night. Margot disappears while somebody knocks out Alex. The police considers him prime suspect. Eight years later, two male bodies are found near the lake and the police starts investigating him again. Alex receives mystery e-mails showing Margot alive and out in public. He starts wondering about the body that was presumed to be her years ago that was identified by her father. He tells his sister Anne and her partner Hélène Perkins (Kristin Scott Thomas) and they hire lawyer Elysabeth Feldman. Mysterious thugs kill their friend Charlotte and set him up.

It's a good Hitchcockian mystery. It's got intensity like running across the highway. It's nice that none of the main characters are idiots. It's a smartly written complicated case that is slowly revealed. The best of all is that I think it all works. The only drawback is my unfamiliarity with the French legal system. The cops seem to be very pushy and I would think any smart man would ask for a lawyer. It's a great engaging mystery from start to finish.