Carion’s My Son

When a child is missing and presumed kidnapped, any parent can turn into Liam Neeson in Taken, even a French journalist. Frankly, it is not such a dramatic transformation in the case of Julien Perrin. He has a rather murky backstory and a hair-trigger temper. Perrin will do whatever it takes to find his seven-year-old boy Mathys, regardless of consequences, throughout Christian Carion’s lean French thriller My Son, which opens tomorrow in New York.

As usual, Perrin was on assignment when Mathys disappeared, but he made haste to the mountainous village when his ex-wife Marie Blanchard called. He tries to be supportive, but things are weird between them. Perrin probably still has some residual affection for her, but her new partner, Gregoire Rochas is a different story entirely. The concerned father takes an instant disliking to Rochas and soon starts to suspect he could be complicit in Mathys’ disappearance (based mainly on instinct rather than evidence).

Although everyone wants Perrin to settle down, he continues to pursue his maverick investigation, like a bull in a china shop. There will indeed be some big third act twists and revelation, but My Son is more about the hunt than unmasking the villains. Regardless, Carion and co-screenwriter Laure Irrmann spring a decidedly sinister conclusion to the film.

Guillaume Canet really seethes and fumes as Perrin. It is a viscerally powerful performance that so dominates the film, it feels like a solo show (like Tom Hardy in Locke), even though there are other actors present. Arguably, Canet’s work also vindicates the method school of acting, due to Carion’s unusual strategy. Instead of supply notes and backstory, Carion withheld all information from Canet, including the script, allowing him to experience each twist and turn in real time.

Melanie Laurent does a nice enough job as Blanchard, but she just cannot compare to Canet. On the other hand, Olivier de Benoist is all kinds of creepy and distasteful as the suspicious Rochas. We really cannot blame Perrin if he leaps to conclusions.

This is a wiry, stripped down film that nicely maintains the brooding French thriller tradition. Carion’s unconventional method of directing Canet has been a good publicity hook for the film, but it never comes across as gimmicky to viewers. Highly recommended for fans of French cinema and edgy thrillers, My Son opens tomorrow (5/10) in New York, at the Quad Cinema.

Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart: The Lamare Affair

France’s Police Nationale largely have jurisdiction over major urban areas and fall under the supervision of the Interior Ministry. The Gendarmerie are a branch of the French military that has responsibility for rural and exurban areas. Their cases often overlap, inevitably leading to rivalries. That made the case of Alain Lamare the serial killer-gendarme (renamed Franck Neuhart for dramatic purposes) even more embarrassing for his commander. Lamare’s reign of terror inspired Cédric Anger’s mostly factual Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart (trailer here), which releases today on DVD.

Neuhart definitely kept to himself, like most serial killers. He is unpopular with his fellow gendarmes, but his commander values his strict obedience to regulations. Neuhart starts out with deliberate hit-and-runs targeting women, but he quickly escalates to firearms. Neuhart is so confident in his cleverness and insider information, he even sends taunting notes to the gendarmerie.

From time to time, Anger drops hints regarding Neuhart’s possible sexuality issues, but somehow the poorly socialized cold fish still manages to somewhat seduce his young part-time cleaning woman Sophie. He gives her plenty of clues regarding his mental offness, but she is so desperate for a better life, she choses to overlook them. That is a very human response, but Neuhart’s contemptuous colleagues have no excuse. It is particularly embarrassing when Neuhart and a colleague start canvassing neighborhoods with a police sketch that looks suspiciously like him (because it is).

The case of Neuhart/Lamare is utterly horrifying but also almost laughably absurd. It is pretty clear the serial killer is not as clever as he thinks he is, but he constantly manages to wriggle out of one jam after another. Anger maintains a scrupulously naturalistic vibe that partly de-emphasizes the genre elements. Yet, you still have to shake your head at some of his wild misadventures.

Guillaume Canet is absolutely chilling as Neuhart, suggesting possible causes for his extreme emotional dysfunction without soliciting sympathy for him. On the other hand, Ana Girardot will make viewers wince and ache for poor Sophie. Plus, the large cast of supporting gendarmes induce plenty of hard face-palming, especially Arnaud Henriet as the exceptionally weasel-like Locray.

Throughout Aim, the 1970’s period details look totally spot on, while Anger largely matches the murky tone of Seventies thrillers. It would pair up nicely with SK1, another recent ripped-from-the-true-crime-headlines French thriller. Recommended for fans procedurals and serial killer movies, Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart releases today (8/14) on DVD, from Distrib Films US/Icarus Films.