Hell on DVD (2005)

David T from Wirral, England , 16/12/2006

In a previous film with the same French title (Claude Chabrol's 1994 film L'Enfer) Emmanuelle Beart played a woman stalked by her own obsessively jealous husband, who is convinced that she is having an affair. In the present film, Emmanuelle Beart plays a woman, who is obsessively jealous of her husband, who she believes is having an affair! However, here the similarities end. Hell is about far more than the failings of one marriage. It's not really about relationships either. Although there are three sisters who are each involved in their own 'love story', the core of the film is the children's attitude toward their parents; in particular their father who was mysteriously jailed for doing something which their mother cannot forgive. The mother is a cripple who has been put in a nursing home. She cannot speak and communicates by writing on a notepad. Only one of the three sisters, Celine, regularly visits her and this seems to be done purely out of a sense of duty. The relationship between the sisters is not much better. They live separate lives and have not seen each other in years. Sophie, the oldest of the three is a housewife with two of her own children. Anne, the youngest sister is a philosophy student who is involved with her middle-aged tutor. We meet the professor as he is giving a lecture about the differences between chance and fate in literature and life, and hear his view that on aesthetic considerations alone, fate should always be preferred ahead of chance. Therefore to die as a result of an accident is the worst death possible. Yes, this is a typically existentialist French film, all about death and the far-reaching consequences of making choices.

Fans of French Cinema, especially those who have liked previous Emmanuelle Beart films such as ‘L’Enfer’, ‘Un Coeur En Hiver’, ‘La Belle Noiseuse’ and ‘Nelly and Mr Arnaud’ will probably enjoy this one.

  10 out of 12 people found this review helpful

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A customer from Bournemouth , 21/05/2007

A really enjoyable film that delivers on many levels. From the tell tale start in the opening sequence you have to pay attention to catch the subtleties of the plot. The three sisters stories - of failed relationships - engage our interest. The central theme of their relationship with their parents is also compelling. This film will draw you in. Equally good is the cinematography and the clever use of colour as the film evolves from hell - to well something else. Watch this with a friend who likes to discuss film - there is plenty to talk about here.

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

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A customer from Ross-on-Wye , 05/09/2006

-- Well not quite, come on it's French- but it's certainly not Hell.

Worth the rent if you like French films

  1 out of 2 people found this review helpful

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A customer from London, England , 26/10/2006

Post existentialist interplay on reality. Quite Brilliant but I am not sure I understood all of it.

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A customer from London , 01/09/2008

Everybody in this film is so bloody miserable you just want to grab them by the throat and scream 'For Gods sake go to the Pub!' - not that they would be able to hear you as the sound of rain hitting windows (combined with large string sections every time anything meaningfull happens) would drown you out. Based on an original script by the late great Krzysztof Kieslowski one wonders what subtleties would have been brought out by his masterful direction. Unfortunately in Danis Tanovic's hands I found it very difficult to care about anyone, especially the kind of bloke who gets fed up with living with Emmanuelle Béart! Great performances, great cast and great cinematography but somehow just too heavy handed for this Francophile.

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