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Les Amitiés maléfiques
2006 Drama
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Credits
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Director: Emmanuel Bourdieu
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Script: Emmanuel Bourdieu, Marcia Romano
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Photo: Yorick Le Saux
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Music: Grégoire Hetzel
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Cast: Malik Zidi (Eloi Duhaut),
Thibault Vinçon (André Morney),
Alexandre Steiger (Alexandre Pariente),
Thomas Blanchard (Edouard Franchon),
Dominique Blanc (Florence Duhaut),
Natacha Régnier (Marguerite),
Jacques Bonnaffé (Prof. Mortier)
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 100 min
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Aka: Poison Friends
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Summary
At the start of a new term at university, three students Eloi, Alexandre and André
strike up a friendship that will have life-changing repercussions. Eloi, the son
of a famous writer, feels impelled to write, but lacks the confidence to seek a publisher
for his first novel. Alexandre has a great passion for drama, but doubts he has
the talent to succeed as an actor. André, by contrast, is brimming with confidence,
and no one has any doubt that he will achieve great things. With André’s
support and encouragement, Eloi and Alexandre do succeed. But what happens to André..?
Review
Emmanuel Bourdieu’s second full-length film - after the tepid romantic drama
Vert paradis (2003) - takes us into the cloistered,
verbally florid world of literary academia and shows how easy it is for the unsuspecting
to be manipulated and driven by somebody whose only talent is in controlling people.
The scenario has a great deal of potential, much of which Bourdieu fails to exploit, although
he does succeed in creating a convincing set of characters and a plausible storyline.
The heavy literary tone is something of a turn off at first (unless you happen to
love Racine) and it does take a while for the narrative to gel, although the quality of
the performances (from a very talented young cast) helps to compensate for weaknesses
in other areas. The film is watchable and thought-provoking, but it would undoubtedly
have been a more attractive proposition if there had been more humour, energy and emotion,
and if Bourdieu’s approach had been somewhat more daring and inspired.
© James Travers 2007
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