My Father and I

The title under which this picture was originally released in the U.S.--How I Killed My Father--might suggest a Hitchcockian thriller, but Anne Fontaine's film is actually a chilly, brooding, but quietly resonant psychological study of domestic tension and unhappiness. Charles Berling plays Jean-Luc, a successful Versailles gerontologist whose long-absent father Maurice (Michel Bouquet) returns penniless from Africa. Inviting the older man to stay with him and his upper-class wife for a while, inwardly Jean-Luc seethes at what he considers his father's abandonment, especially when Maurice criticizes both his practice, which caters to the well-to-do, and his philandering, and also starts to bond with his other son, Jean-Luc's younger brother. None of this, however, is played out melodramatically; rather, My Father and I is essentially a cerebral film in which the characters, apart from occasional outbursts, respond to the situation with typically Gallic reserve (Fontaine directs with studied reticence, allowing the silences to convey as much, if not more, than the dialogue). This is the sort of rarefied French picture that won't appeal to the multitudes, but its moody, elliptical style will be compelling to those looking for something different from run-of-the-mill Hollywood fare. Deliberate in its pacing, beautifully acted, and nicely shot, the film requires a viewer's patience and attention, but the effort pays substantial dividends. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include subtitled interviews with costars Charles Berling (25 min.), Natacha Regnier (13 min.), and Stephane Guillon (15 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a small but solid extras package for a fine indie film.] (F. Swietek)