Le Lieu du crime

In a small village in the south west of France, Thomas (Nicolas Giraudi), a fourteen year old boy living with his mother Lili (Catherine Deneuve) and grandparents, wiles away the time. He is confronted by an escaped convict, Martin (Wadek Stanczak), in the village cemetery, who demands he bring him back 100 francs. The boy obliges and a rapport soon becomes established between the two to the point where Martin saves Thomas from his aggressive accomplice. After stumbling into the local bar run by Lili, Martin finds a sympathetic shoulder in Thomas’ mother. As their relationship develops, Thomas finds himself increasingly chagrined, while criminal forces and the authorities threaten the unlikely couple’s happy encounter.

The master of the slow-burning psychological thriller, André Téchiné once again proffers an insightful film that goes beyond the constraints of frame and conventional narrative.

The drama of criminal activity, as indicated in the title, morphs into an intriguing play of familial dynamics and doomed love story. Overtly referencing Great Expectations in its opening, Téchiné delves into the psychology of a lost boy, burdened with a lack of parental connection and suddenly presented with it in the most unlikely of forms.

Téchiné’s masterful direction induces the intimate atmosphere of each scene, pregnant with hope and menace. A former critic of Les Cahiers du cinéma, the director employs his extensive knowledge of cinema to create a novel form of filmmaking and narrative, which fascinates through weaving plot turns. He is abetted by co-writers Pascal Bonitzer and Oliver Assayas, two other critics for the influential journal, who would likewise go onto make films and continue the legacy of the New Wave directors of the 50s and 60s, under whom they had trained.

The film is wonderfully played by all its leads, boasting another fine performance by a legend from the golden age of French cinema, Danielle Darrieux. It is perhaps Catherine Deneuve though, who excels most here, exuding a stark vulnerability seldom seen before. Her second outing in front of Téchiné’s camera, the star would collaborate four more times with the director (including Les Voleurs also playing on Cinémoi), who would pepper her already illustrious career with some of her most challenging roles.
Deneuve describes the unassuming power of Techiné’s film:

“I think about it a lot because it seems perfect to me: the rhythm, the camera, the musicality of Danielle Darrieux’s voice, and the melancholic intensity of all these looks… that’s what direction is for me: pure harmony.”