This was a great and devastating film. Francois is a man who has repressed his sexuality; he is clearly in a near-loveless, or all the way loveless marriage, as he and his wife don't even seem to bump shoulders while in bed, their nightly discourse about some trivial daytime affairs. Francois some times goes to a house where he meets a bunch of other men around the same age; they drink, carry on a bit, and then they watch gay pornography while everyone engages in some form of sexual behaviour. Yet Francois makes comments about people who are "poofs", and "you never can tell with that type". He is one of many, many people in our world who is repressed beyond words. From the start, it appears he has some sort of fascination with Christian, who calls him Uncle Francois, but is not truly his nephew; we learn throughout that Francois and Christian's father served in the military together, and are old pals. However, Francois has more than an "Uncle"'s love regardless. Slowly, we watch his world dissolve around him until one brutal act suddenly changes everything for him.
What I particularly liked was the slow pace because we gradually saw more and more of who Francois was behind the closet doors. There is a scene near the end where Francois dines alone at a restaurant (after taking out a large amount of cash from the bank, which will mean more to you once you've seen the film), and he notices two men who are talking, having a great time, laughing together; soon, they share a nice kiss. Francois is not disgusted in a repressed-type way. The dawning of a new understanding comes upon him; he realizes that is what he could have, he could find happiness if only he didn't bury his true nature deep within himself the way he does. He stares, and you can see Francois realizing that his life could have gone down a different path than where he finds himself; the savage act he perpetrated didn't have to happen. Of course, we know all this, but the realization comes to him near the end. We do not see the ramifications of what he has done, but instead simply there is the progression of Francois; where he started, and where he has ended up. We know what will come for him eventually, or do we? Will anyone ever find out what he has done? Perhaps we'll never know.
I give this a 10 out of 10. Wonderful script. Brilliant, and fearless acting (there are some moments that are quite graphic without actually being full-frontal nudity). I can't recommend this enough. Certainly a tough watch at times, but worth it.
What I particularly liked was the slow pace because we gradually saw more and more of who Francois was behind the closet doors. There is a scene near the end where Francois dines alone at a restaurant (after taking out a large amount of cash from the bank, which will mean more to you once you've seen the film), and he notices two men who are talking, having a great time, laughing together; soon, they share a nice kiss. Francois is not disgusted in a repressed-type way. The dawning of a new understanding comes upon him; he realizes that is what he could have, he could find happiness if only he didn't bury his true nature deep within himself the way he does. He stares, and you can see Francois realizing that his life could have gone down a different path than where he finds himself; the savage act he perpetrated didn't have to happen. Of course, we know all this, but the realization comes to him near the end. We do not see the ramifications of what he has done, but instead simply there is the progression of Francois; where he started, and where he has ended up. We know what will come for him eventually, or do we? Will anyone ever find out what he has done? Perhaps we'll never know.
I give this a 10 out of 10. Wonderful script. Brilliant, and fearless acting (there are some moments that are quite graphic without actually being full-frontal nudity). I can't recommend this enough. Certainly a tough watch at times, but worth it.