Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

morrison-dylan-fan Catching up on what is happening in the UK General Election,I started to talk to friends on Twitter about their views on events. During the chats,a friend told me that the BBC were about to show a Audrey Tautou that he has been interested in seeing for ages. Charmed by Tautou in He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not,I got set to meet Thérèse Desqueyroux.The plot:Living life as a free spirit in late 1920's France, Thérèse Laroque begins moving away from her open nature,to instead keep with tradition and get together with Bernard Desqueyroux for a marriage of convenience. Originally hoping that the marriage would clear a path that would allow the life goals to be seen, Thérèse finds herself stuck in a loveless marriage,which burns Thérèse's life away.View on the film:Creating a final work whilst dying from cancer,co-writer (with Natalie Carter) director Claude Miller & cinematographer Gérard de Battista give the Costume Drama a funeral atmosphere,lit in dour yellow lights that beam on the stark face of Desqueyroux. Sketching the misery of Desqueyroux's life,Miller digs into the period with elegant charcoal browns and blacks covering any light coming into Desqueyroux. Removing her distinctive kooky smile, Audrey Tautou gives a marvellous performance as Desqueyroux,with Tautou pulling Miller's Desqueyroux down to a burning ember.

paul2001sw-1 There are strong echoes of Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina in Claude Miller's film 'Therese Desqueyroux', derived from a 1920s novel about a woman trapped by convention in a stultifying marriage to a mediocre man. But where Emma Bovary is stupid, Therese is deeply intelligent; whereas Emma has an affair, Therese merely learns of that of her sister in law; and whereas Emma kills herself, Therese tries to murder her husband. In modern parlance, Therese is medically depressed; but while depression may lead to irrational behaviour, it is not itself necessarily without cause. In all these stories, one can feel ambiguous sympathy for the entitled husbands, who may not be likable per se, but who don't fully deserve the hand that fate deals them. There's a nice scene at the end of this film which neatly summarises Monsiuer Desqueyroux's utter emotional constipation. I also liked the way that the time and place (the Landes forest in south west France) are portrayed, and Audtey Tatou is very good in a role which is the opposite of cute.

paperbackboy This excellent film, like the novel, has a challengingly "modern", existential feel, with themes that bring it closer to the ideas of Camus and Sartre than many of Mauriac's other works.Thérèse isn't really sure why she acts in the way she does, but her character, thanks largely to Tautou's performance, is so complex and nuanced that, far from leading to "confusion", as another reviewer has suggested, it simply seems real. Perhaps too "real" to be hugely dramatic, but real enough to be compelling and fascinating.Gilles Lellouche plays husband Bernard to perfection, too, with just the right amount of odious materialism and hypocrisy, combined with a tinge of genuine sympathy. He genuinely can't comprehend his wife and her actions, and responds in the way that he thinks best.The movie is beautifully and atmospherically shot - the best compliment I can pay is that it looks just how I imagined it when I read the book. Plus it made me want to read the novel again, because it reminded me just how powerful and "modern" a work it is.Despite the film's length, there are no "longueurs" (boring bits), and the plot feels surprisingly tight given the lack of action.So watch this film, enjoy the "look", and be surprised and challenged by the characters and their motivations, and by just how modern Mauriac's ideas were, way back in the 1920s. Definitely recommended.

Gordon-11 This film is about a blue blooded woman marrying a tycoon, but quickly finds out that marriage is not a thing she likes.The title "Thérèse Desqueyroux" doesn't give the plot away, but the Hong Kong Chinese title does. As a result, I kept guessing how the plot will turn out. Initially, we see Thérèse having a rather entangled relationship with Anne, which may or may not have played a part in her dissatisfaction in Thérèse's subsequent marriage. Then, the marriage itself is portrayed well, with the husband giving Thérèse much love that is clearly not reciprocated.However, all these supposed seeds that led to the deed did not adequately explain Thérèse's criminal action. Without a plausible motive, I was left to wonder exactly why she did such a horrible deed. Such a lack of motive may drive suspense and keep viewers on edge, but in "Thérèse Desqueyroux" it only serves to confuse.In addition, the subplot between Thérèse and Anne, and between Anne and Jean were left hanging, which was quite a pity. The amazing contrasts between the pre-deed, post-deed and liberated Thérèse could not help to lift "Thérèse Desqueyroux" to becoming a great film. I think it is a good film but it is unfortunately masked by hanging subplots and confusion.