Three Days and a Life (2019) Poster

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8/10
A moral essay
danybur21 July 2021
Summary

Based on a remarkable novel by Pierre Lemaitre (also the film's screenwriter), Three Days and a Life is a kind of moral essay (in the best sense) on the scope of a tragic incident (plus others of varying severity and characteristics), chance and the passage of time on the destiny of a twelve-year-old boy.

Review

Antoine, a 12-year-old boy who lives in a small town in the Belgian Ardennes, stars in a tragic event whose shadow will be projected over several years of his life.

On each of the days of the title this and two other very dissimilar events occur, but strangely they will operate together on the fate of the protagonist (whom the action takes up several years later) and the knowledge of the truth.

Based on a remarkable novel by Pierre Lemaitre (also the film's screenwriter), Three Days and a Life is a kind of moral essay (in the best sense) about the scope of a specific incident (plus the other two, actually), chance and the passage of time on the destiny of a person and their personal ties.

With a town and a forest (a scenario that would later proliferate in the French and Belgian police), Nicolas Boukhrief's film is more of a drama than a thriller. Or rather: the success and the disturbing thing about this story is the psychology of a protagonist organized in such a way that both territories can alternate but not overlap. There is an asordinate daily life in that battered community (in more ways than one) to which Antoine is reintegrated without problems. Rob's serene soundtrack helps remarkably define that mood.

The performances of Jeremy Senez as the child Antoine, Pablo Pauly as the adult Antoine and Sandrine Bonnaire as a mother capable of expressing a thousand emotions just with her expressions and her silences are highlighted.
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8/10
Black Xmas
ulicknormanowen21 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The film begins on Xmas day and ends ,some twenty years later ,on Xmas day.

In between ,one of the most original thrillers produced in France in the last decade. It often reminds the viewer of Claude Chabrol at his best ("le boucher" "que la bête meure" "juste avant la nuit" "les noces rouges" or "la cérémonie"),which Sandrine Bonnaire 's efficient presence reinforces .Yes ,it 's that much good.

Flash forward: the police announces a search to find little Rémi who disappeared three days ago .....

Flashback : the three days preceding Xmas is an Ardennes village ; we meet little Antoine, who lives with his(unmarried ,widow?) mom, the village doctor who urges the brat to become a doctor himself , a Pole the inhabitants do not like very much ,Rémi ,who is good friends with Antoine ,and his parents ,Michel and Emilie. There won't be any (very) unexpected end ,because the whole truth is revealed very early ;thus,the viewers know, the characters but one ,don't. A sinister omen : Michel's dog gets run over by a car and his master has to shoot the pet.

People begin to talk in town and the Pole ,a stranger , is suspected by the gossip people ....During the midnight mass, whilst the congregation is singing " Silent Night" , Rémi's father (Charles Berling) hurls at the alleluia crowd .

Return to present : the search begins and is to continue the day after ;but a storm destroys everything and the search becomes pointless. The disappearance of Rémi is not cleared up.

Fifteen years later , the past resurfaces with the strength of the tempest which had laid waste the village ; this part is sometimes marred by too much melodrama ( Antoine's baby ,the Pole's secret ,the doctor's attitude (emotional blackmail?) ),but the essential is sustained :some people might know, but what do they really know? The suspense remains psychological.

The final Reveillon (Christmas eve dinner)who brings together the culprit and the victim's parents may infuriate some ,but can you lead a happy life when you have something awful on your conscience?

So the Lord said to him, "Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him."

When the movie begins, the camera films a misty valley then discovers the village ;at the end ,tracking out from the small window of the house where the families are celebrating Xmas.

Strong performances by everyone involved:Sandrine Bonnaire, Charles Berling,Philippe Torreton ,Pablo Pauly and ,for the first time on the screen , Jeremie Senez as young sensitive Antoine.

Had Chabrol still been with us, this is the kind of movie he would have made.
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8/10
A good movie to see
sanya-kostic25 August 2021
It is a little slow, have to say, but it's good. I don't understand the relationship between Antoine and his mother. She was so cold and they never talked about things that had happened to him. Every single caring mom would ask her son what is going on. Even when she found out that he witnessed the dog being shot, she didn't ask her son about it. Weird. Years later, he came back to the village and due to the circumstances he decided to stay there. His mother never asked about his sudden change of plans. Then, her partner revealed that he had known the whole truth, and probably, she had too, but she never spoke to her son about it. These are the things I didn't like, everything else was well made.
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Universal crime (absolute zero, -273, to be reviewed)
lbournelos28 May 2020
I suffered 25 minutes of this unique junk. If I write what I really think of what MUST happen to EVERYONE in EVERY way involved in this film, I would be banned for ever from imdb.
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7/10
Good murder thriller movie..!
kamalbeeee1 September 2023
A boy killed a dog and a small boy then his rest of life became painful even he didn't caught in police... Excellent photography and casting...!

The forest shown in beautiful way.. Must watch movie..!

A boy killed a dog and a small boy then his rest of life became painful even he didn't caught in police... Excellent photography and casting...!

Must watch movie..!

A boy killed a dog and a small boy then his rest of life became painful even he didn't caught in police... Excellent photography and casting...!

Must watch movie..!

A boy killed a dog and a small boy then his rest of life became painful even he didn't caught in police... Excellent photography and casting...!

Must watch movie..!
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10/10
Unexpected turn off events, beautiful!
chrixbedard-5461829 November 2020
If you are looking for something different that the regular Netflix stuff, you will be drawn into a incredible story. I did not read the book so I did not have any expectation. The acting is spot on, beautiful shooting of Belgium countryside and deep storyline that turns unexpected. I love it !
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8/10
Antoine faces the ironies of life
vinsond2122 September 2021
An engaging movie about the ironies of life, especially the life of one Antoine who lives in a northern French village. Antoine is the character whose life of predicaments holds this story together, and he is well-played by two actors, Jeremy Senez as the younger version and Pablo Pauly as the grown-up one. We feel for Antoine and want to be on his side, and the actors manage to make him sympathetic. The scenes that took place during the historic winter storm of 1999 were brilliantly shot.
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5/10
Dissapointed
syldt116 July 2021
All the elements are there, the plot, the acting, the set, the atmosphere... But the pace is uneven, it lags at times and then suddenly, many years pass or important things happen in a second and, mostly, out of the view.

The time passes and I keep waiting for the mistery to unravel or the conflict to arise, but they never do, and since all the cards are laid on the table from the get go, there's no big reveal or twist at the end to reward the audience's patience .

It has some silly, but distracting, errors, such as people looking exactly the same way they looked fifteen years ago, or the supermarket cashier and the police officer that look the same as they did a decade ago, and are expecting their first child, like it had been 3 years since the events, not 15!

Furthermore, almost everyone made some quite questionable decisions, that are never fully explained.

Love French cinema, especially the noir thrillers, so I thought this movie would be right up my alley, but I was dissapointed.
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10/10
Excellent, standout film, also film-lesson twist
veo13 July 2021
This is a very good thriller, immersive from the first minute, but also with a heart. And especially with an amazing twist in the end, that almost brought tears in my eyes and that may hit home for anyone. With a single word, it rewrites the story, the film, it even shifts the role of main character to another one. I was also pleased to see Sandrine Bonnaire and Charles Berling again, but young Pablo Pauly was the main attraction. Please note I love good American thrillers and don't like European dramas too much, so don't be deterred from seeing this Belgian film just because it's European; it is is a lesson of writing, shooting and acting.
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10/10
Beautiful cinematography
kevs561226 August 2021
The cinematography is gorgeous and the movie has a great choice of music, scenes are filmed in dynamic shots that are very much character focused.

The story is filled with tention, and some great pieces of dialogue, pacing sometimes feels a bit odd as the movie skips large periods of time however the scenes we did see all serve a purpose.
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2/10
No connection to the book
biancagianina-369479 September 2020
For those who have read the book, the film has not the slightest connection, not even the same ending. Disappointing.
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10/10
a nightmare movie
tamerfadime28 June 2020
An unusual tension. The best thriller I've seen latest.
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