Review of “Unsilence”: Chilling as a pedophile in Daniel Atoue

In A silenceA family drama from French filmmaker Joachim Lafosse, Daniel Auteuil and Emmanuel Devos that sends shivers down your spine.

The silent protagonist of the title is Astrid Schaar (Emmanuel Devos), who is summoned by the police and vaguely answers Commissioner Colin's (Jean Serhal) questions. It's about the attempted murder of her husband François Char (Daniel Atouille, breathtaking) by their stepson, Raphael (Mathieu Cauleaux).

François is a lawyer. In the midst of a brilliant, famous, highly publicized trial, this remarkable man leads a completely normal life between his wife, who has left the family nest, and his son, the elder Caroline (Louis Chevillot). Silence is also theirs.

The stillness of the screenplay by Joachim Lafosse and Thomas van Suylen, in a few words, makes us uncomfortable. Silence is the lighting, the shadows on the actors' faces, the camera angles, always giving the impression that something is being hidden.

As the drama unfolds, the truth emerges little by little from these sticky silences in which the entire family is locked during a confrontation between mother and daughter. But at the center, there is Astrid. Does she know? Yes, we imagine how she could have ignored the horror that had been playing out before her eyes for 25 years? His silence is shame, guilt, helplessness.

In this role of a normal monster, the worst criminal, Daniel Atuel is incredible. It's almost hard to believe that he exudes normality and good nature, while justice — the justice he's perpetrated over the years — must be done.

With a remarkable economy of effects and words, Joachim Lafosse boldly grabs us and locks us in a dilemma. Forgiving the unforgivable or seeking reparation for the irreparable.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

A silence It hits the screens from May 3.