Comedie de L’Innocence Review

Comedie de L'Innocence
9 year-old Camille informs his mother that his real name is Paul and he wants to be reunited with his real mother. His mother plays along until the new mother appears on the scene, when things become sinister.

by Patrick Peters |
Published on
Release Date:

01 Jan 2000

Running Time:

98 minutes

Certificate:

PG

Original Title:

Comedie de L’Innocence

Also known as Fils De Deux Mares, this is a surprisingly accessible outing for the ever-eclectic Roul Ruiz.

Indeed, there's a distinct whiff of Chabrol about the proceedings, as Huppert's smart Parisienne agrees to share her son with Balibar, an enigmatic stranger who also claims to be the boy's mother. Making inventive use of video inserts to shift perspective, this teasing study of identity, duality and humans as property reprises themes explored in Ruiz's Shattered Image.

However, this is a much more controlled exercise. The duel between the laissez-faire Huppert and the sinisterly measured Balibar makes for the most cerebral cat fight cinema has seen in years; but much will depend on whether you buy into the film's indigenous symbolism and magic realism.

A celebration of feminine control and conniving with two fine performances, but Ruiz's use of symbolism might prove overbearing.
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