Sombre

(1998) ****1/2

A serial killer travels along the French countryside, picks up prostitutes, has sex with them, and then strangles the life out of them. On a rainy afternoon, he picks up Claire, whose car has broken down in the inclement weather. Eventually joined by her sister, the three hit the open road, where the two girls soon discover that they’re dealing with a monster. I’ll stop here, but I will just mention that what happens next may not be quite what you’d expect.

Though I found this film to be sensational because it’s powerful, emotional, artistic, bizarre, unsettling, horrifying, identifiable and unidentifiable, it’s definitely not a film for everyone. I think that some people will watch this film and say the following three things about it: it’s too slow, the way its filmed is annoying, and the character’s behavior doesn’t make sense. With the exception of the cinematography, I was somewhat experiencing these feelings in the first half of the film. It was during the second half when I really began seeing what this film is about, and how brilliantly it is constructed. With this new perspective, I decided I needed a second viewing, and not only did I now love the first half, but I also upped my rating.

I would like to delve into deep analysis about this film, as I already have a thirty page thesis brewing in my head, but I’m trying to keep my review to a minimum, plus it would force me to reveal plot points, which I’d rather not divulge. Instead, I’ll just note a few aspects of this film that make me go crazy for it.

First, having very little dialog, the film relies heavily on the superb acting, periods of silence and lengths of music, and especially the camerawork, which uses techniques, such as low lighting, extreme close-ups, blur, and camera shake to induce feelings like claustrophobia, disorientation, and abstraction. With just few words uttered, I felt and learned a tremendous amount about the characters and the story.

Second, I like that it was a different take on the serial killer. For instance, so much of the film is about the killer’s shame and anguish over his murderous urges that he cannot control. The camerawork compliments this so well. Often, it’s as if the lens is shooting from his point of view, and when the killings happen, they are dark and distorted, making it sometimes impossible to see what is going on. It’s as though he is trying to hide what he sees to be disgusting and shameful, though, the screams are always present.

Lastly, there’s Claire…a very odd character whose actions makes no sense, yet perfect sense.

I should also mention that I love the music for this film.