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Qui a tué Bambi?
2003 Thriller / Drama
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Credits
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Director: Gilles Marchand
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Script: Vincent Dietschy, Gilles Marchand
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Photo: Pierre Milon
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Music: Alex Beaupain, Carlos Dalton, François Eudes, Lily Margot, Doc Mateo
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Cast: Sophie Quinton (Isabelle (Bambi)),
Laurent Lucas (Dr. Philipp),
Catherine Jacob (Véronique),
Yasmine Belmadi (Sami),
Michèle Moretti (Mme Vachon),
Valérie Donzelli (Nathalie)
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 121 min
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Aka: Who Killed Bambi?
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Summary
Isabelle is training to be a nurse in a modern French hospital. When she faints
in the presence of an attractive young doctor, Philipp, the latter gives her the nickname
“Bambi”. Thereafter, Isabelle becomes increasingly fascinated yet frightened
by Dr Philipp. When she learns that an anaesthetic drug is being diluted, she suspects
Philipp is responsible. When she finally obtains clinching proof of his guilt, she
suddenly realises that her life is in danger...
Review
Gilles Marchand had made a substantial mark on French cinema as a screenwriter –
famously scripting such critically acclaimed works as
Ressources humaines (1999) and
Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien (2000)
– before he made his directorial debut with Qui
a tué Bambi? A psychological thriller which clearly owes much to Hitchcock,
the film skilfully plays on our darkest neuroses about hospitals and men in white coats
but ultimately fails to satisfy our need for a coherent storyline and characters we can
identify with.
Where the film works well is in creating a nightmare world of relentless oppression
and tension, a sterile dehumanised landscape against which our worst fears are played
out as a slightly paranoid trainee nurse falls prey to the machinations of the unmistakably
sinister Dr Philipp. It is about as subtle as a Tom and Jerry cartoon, but
the evocative sets and chillingly atmospheric photography, not to mention the gripping
performances from Sophie Quinton and Laurent Lucas, hold our attention with a vice-like
grip from start to finish.
It cannot be denied that Qui
a tué Bambi? is a compelling film, but the cinematic experience it offers
is ultimately an empty one. As the credits roll after what is a somewhat muddled
and laboured ending, the lack of depth in the characterisation and the paucity of ingenuity
in the script hits home. One of the problems with the film is its lack of a single
perspective (i.e. the victim’s) and the fact that whatever ambiguity we think we
see is too quickly resolved. From the outset, we know that Dr Philipp is both dangerous
and perverted, so Isabelle is justified in sensing he is a threat – so why do we
care? A good suspense thriller thrives on ambiguity, and here there is very
little. Compare this with Roman Polanski’s horror-chiller
Rosemary’s Baby (1968) for a good
example of where a real (albeit fantastic) threat is portrayed, to great effect, as an
imaginary one. In Marchand’s film, knowing that Dr Philipp is bad right from
the start actually diminishes the tension rather than adds to it, and too great a burden
is placed on Sophie Quinton to maintain the film’s suspense – although she
does an admirably good job at doing just that.
So, Qui
a tué Bambi? is essentially a film where cinematic style is given far greater
emphasis than narrative substance. This is surprising and slightly disappointing
after Gilles Marchand’s previous achievements as a screenwriter. Yet, whilst
not faultless, this remains an engrossing work; at least in terms of style, mood and presentation
it bears a favourable comparison with the films of Claude Chabrol. If the
halogen-lit empty corridors haunted by a sinister syringe-wielding doctor doesn’t
give you nightmares, it should at least cause you to have some concern about your next
stay in hospital…
© James Travers 2005
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