Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

writers_reign Laden with awards and nominations (well deserved) Mathieu Amlaric is always a good bet, whether acting, directing, writing, or, as here, all three, he seldom lets you down and on the whole opts for interesting and/or unusual projects. Writing and acting with his real life partner (he was, at one time, married to another fine if somewhat neglected actress Jeanne Balibar) Stephanie Cleau, not exactly chopped liver if anyone asks you, he has elected as source material a non-linear novel by Georges Simenon, arguably the most adapted novelist of all time, and the partners have done an excellent job in both departments. The film's strength is in keeping you guessing whether you are watching an account of an intense affair - a la liaison pornographique with Nathalie Baye - a crime passionel, a courtroom drama or, as it turns out, all three. This is top of the line whichever way you look at it and the DVD is already on my list.

Hitchcoc This is really quite a simple story. Man has affair with other man's wife. Has wife and family but re-unites with woman he met before his marriage. They have a series of trysts. She has a husband who has a serious medical condition and one day he dies. Unfortunately, the woman is a pharmacist and it appears that they have done a "Postman Always Rings Twice" murder. The whole thing focuses on a bewildered man who realizes that his actions have a consequence. He's not even sure what has happened as he sits in a courtroom. Sometimes justice is less about criminal justice and more about moral justice. A slow moving psychological drama based on a George Simenon novel.

runamokprods Slow moving (although only 76 minutes long), starting in the middle of confusion and sexual passion, and only very gradually revealing exactly what the central mystery being examined even is. All we know is that middle-class Julien (expertly played by director Amalric) and sexy, cold and intense Esther (the excellent Stephanie Cleau) have tremendous sexual chemistry, if not much real emotion between them. They are both married to other people, and we soon learn something awful has happened that has caused Julien to be under intense questioning by the police. All the other details are only revealed bit by bit as the story jumps around through a fractured time-scape. Amalric uses the camera to underline and echo elements of the tricky construction, using odd, disquieting close ups that give us only a bit of the big picture, or pulling back to beautifully framed but distant feeling wider shots that give us the geography, but don't let us inside. The performances too – both by the leads and all the supporting characters – also serve the style. They're all dense and meticulously detailed, but it's up to us to figure out what those subtle details of behavior mean. Is that glance a look of love? Desire? Contempt? Does Julien's lawyer believe him? Does Julien's wife suspect or not? If ultimately this adaptation of a Georges Simenon piece isn't quite as powerful as it's opening leads one to hope, it's still a smart, chilling and impressive directorial effort for Amalric.

westcoastgil The Blue Room is beautifully acted and Mathieu Amalric delivers another of his cinematographic jewels. First off, I totally disagree with other reviewers claiming this movie to be an offshoot of Fatal Attraction. Second, you'll be watching the wrong movie if your intend is gazing over explicit sex scenes. This is not an erotic movie.This being said - SPOILERS ALERT - Watch the movie first before you continue reading this review.It's the story of two lovers falling into a diabolic trap. We come to know that Julien and Delphine grew up in the same town where they also attended the same school. Delphine was in love with Julien but he never noticed her other that she was taller than him. Eventually, after school, they both went their own ways. Delphine married a doctor but his mother always disapproved the marriage claiming Delphine to be after her sons' money. The mother lives in the same house of her son and Delphine. Delphine runs a pharmacy from that house as well. Julien is married has a daughter and a successful career. Years later....Julien is driving and sees Delphine on the side of the road struggling to replace the flat tire of her car with the spare. They instantly fall for each other. Fast forward.Many in town were aware of the affair and are now convinced that, for obvious reasons, the lovers eliminated their partners. The pretrial proceedings and tabloid lynching results in lawyers, courts and judges to be biased resulting in the two lovers being doomed by the time the trial starts. They clearly are resigned to the outcome of their ordeal but for different reasons. At this point Delphine is totally blinded by her romanticized love for Julien. As for Julien, he's aware that there's no way out and, therefore, indifferent to the trial. At this point, he's also convinced Delphine to be the perpetrator of the killings until, at the very end of the trial, he realizes who the real murderer is. Remember the testimony of the flamboyant red head ?