Partisan (2015) User Reviews

Bleak, dystopian tale of one man's own created world

[t-dooley-69-386916 · 7/10 · 24 January 2016]

Vincent Cassel stars in this Australian film as Gregori. He has a harem of women who all have children – mostly it would appear – with him as the father. They live in an isolated community where they seem to lead a happy life with the children learning yet enjoying their childhood. Gregori is the only man. His eldest son is Alexander and at first we see true paternal love and the reflected devotion.

However, all is not as it seems as we learn that the outside world is not a nice place and Gregori is training his children to be 'hit men' or hit kids more appropriately. As Alexander learns more of the world forbidden to him he slowly starts to question what his father's motives are and their way of life.

Now this is extremely well made being in part made by Animal Kingdom 'It Follows' fame. The actors all seem to be unknowns but all do brilliant jobs of what was a very physical film in terms of what is expected. Cassel is just as good in an English language role as he is in his native French and puts in a stellar performance. The plot was apparently inspired by child soldiers of Colombia. It is a very thoughtful film and despite the violent undertones is actually fairly responsible in avoiding the actual gore but still addressing the issues head on. It has had mixed reviews but I for one found that it stayed with me long after having seen it – which is always a good thing. This is for people who like to think about their films and who appreciate an original film delivered in a realistic way.

Artistic & Philosophical Australian Indie About Determined Detachment

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 27 December 2015]

Colorfully decorated sets and Art-Design paint a cheerfully bleak existence of a "Family" of self isolated misfits and victims of a larger Society that have isolated themselves from the "Hurt" of reality.

Likable but verging on insanity, charming like most Cult-Leaders, Vincent Cassel is slowly shown to be a manipulative maniac giving refuge to single Women with Children. What transpires is a depressing scenario.

This offbeat, low-budget Australian Movie has Philosophical, Psychological, and Societal things on its mind and delivers engaging but erratic implications of the Human condition, its strengths and shortcomings.

Worth a watch for its Artistry but the deep subject matter is never fully thought out and seems a shortcut with its ambiguous storytelling. Much needed background to make it convincing and insightful is never supplied to the viewer and that does this ambitious little Film a disservice.

Because in the end the extremely interesting and always good to look at Movie is big on display but does not have what is most needed in this type of thing, information for involvement.

A flawed gem; technically amazing but perhaps too ambiguous for its own good

[punishable-by-death · 7/10 · 1 June 2015]

In yet another high quality Australian movie, Vincent Cassell is Gregori, a man who is sheltering people in his compound from a bleak outside world. This isn't really a thriller, it is more of a drama/coming-of-age story as there is not a lot of action, rather the atmosphere is thick, and an overall feeling of dread looms over the entire film. While I feel a bit divided about the film, there is no denying that it is technically sound, with the locations, camera-work and soundtrack all of extremely high quality. Whether you will like this or not will boil down to whether you like this fresh approach to making a film, as it does come close to being too ambiguous for its own good. Personally I liked it, as it is unlike most movies, though it does smell ever so slightly of lazy writing. But the world within the film is so intriguing that it works, as long as the viewer is willing to participate in the experience. I cannot shake the feeling that this is a brilliant concept that is not fully explored, but the film's universe is unforgettable; both the desolate outside world and within the compound, where Gregori's word is law and children are encouraged to be creative, whether it includes face-painting or karaoke. Oh, and Gregori also trains the children to become assassins. The movie begins with Gregori at a hospital, talking to a troubled mother who is nursing her newborn child. Next we suddenly find ourselves in the safety of his compound eleven years later, where we see mothers and their children happy and in safety. They seem to obey Gregori's word because of this. When young Alexander, who I assume was this baby at the beginning, starts to feel differently about what he is doing, what he has been trained to do, I really started wondering how it was going to end, as the relationship that forms between the two characters is much like that of a father and son. Rather than exploring the amazing looking outside world that has been created, the film focuses more on how this world has affected Gregori, Alexander and the rest of the compounds' residents. Most of the film's run-time is spent inside this compound, which at first confused me, as the barren world that is created outside the compound's walls is extremely striking. I wondered why this world wasn't explored further. A world in which Gregori has not only built a compound where his word rules, but also a world where he sends child assassins out to do his dirty work. However, I believe this was the intention, as the focus is on the daily lives of the people inside these walls, and on the way Gregori seems to be a husband to so many woman while also being a father figure to so many children. These children love living in the compound so much that they cannot see the violence that resides in Gregori's heart. He is a flawed and complex man, whose personality is a direct result of the desolate outside world. Or, one could ask, is this only the way he perceives it? Both Gregori and Alexander make for interesting character studies. Alex's journey is a coming-of-age tale of sorts, but one very different to movies normally associated with that tag. He is the only one within the compound who begins to question Gregori and his methods as he matures before our eyes, becoming disobedient and asking questions. The obedience to Gregori by the rest of the residents though is one of many elements in this film that isn't quite explained. It however provides more food for thought. Was Gregori delusional? Did he truly believe he was helping these mothers and newborn babies? Overall, the best way to describe this movie would be an ambiguous character study as well as a coming of age story. Ultimately, the sparse details given is for each viewer to interpret. Ambiguity reigns supreme here as gaps are not filled, events are often not explained. This approach is taken perhaps a little too far, but regardless, the film is gripping and full of emotional depth. Gregori is one of the better characters I've seen in a film for a while, as is Alexander. They both have complex character arcs, as does their father-son type relationship. This is certainly not a Friday night beer film as its ambiguous nature is sure to raise many intriguing questions for the viewer to chew on. Do I think it was lazily written? Yes, to a small extent. The dialogue could have been better and there could have been more action, but ultimately I feel the filmmakers wanted viewers to think, to ponder, to contemplate on what they have just seen. In this regard it succeeds, but with a little more energy in the dialogue and with more meat on the bones of the story, this really could have been quite something. Vincent Cassell also is not at his best, he looks the part but is not as engaging as his character suggests. This could be due to the fact that he stepped in for Oscar Isaac, who pulled out just before shooting. In saying all this though, the entire movie looks and sounds incredible – meaning this is yet another young Aussie director who I shall be keeping my eyes on.

Scary Utopia, brilliant acting.

[JohnDeSando · 29 September 2015]

A sequestered commune is the setting for Ariel Kleiman's disturbing story about 11-year-old Alexander (Jeremy Chabriel), whose father, Gregori (Vincent Cassell) teaches him a life to be divorced from mainstream life, except when Alexander efficiently murders for money. The joy of the communers juxtaposed with their terrible assignments points up the film's allegorical comment on the danger of isolationism.

The film points out the ironic Christ-like parallel as Gregori carries wood across his shoulders to begin building a home for his children and harem. The contrast between his love for his life and the horrid tasks for the children is obvious and a telling comment on the dangers of messianic obsession.

A couple of the young boys, including Alexander, rebel against Alexander's tyranny and become objects of deep concern for Gregori. Even an unauthorized candy bar could be trouble. Mostly, though, it's the natural contrariness of youths, exacerbated by the limiting confines of a closed community, that leads Alexander to begin straying.

While Kleiman leaves out the spiritual development of the commune, especially with so many women complying, and definitely leaves the audience hanging at the end, the film is successful showing a productive closed society, a Utopia if you will, the downside appearing as a dark stain not easily expunged.

Original and interesting throughout! 7/10

[leonblackwood · 7/10 · 27 May 2016]

Review: For such a basic movie about a man, Gregori (Vincent Cassel) who builds his own territory for troubled women with children, and also lives with his wife Susanna (Florence Mezzara) and young son Alexander (Jeremy Chabriel), who is a trained cold blooded killer, it really did touch me. Alexander just wants do be a normal young boy, and he is curious about the outside world and the right and wrongs of life but his father has his own ideas for Alexander, and he tries to gear him towards the secluded life that he has built. After the strange disappearance of a young boy, who turns against Gregori, Alexander becomes weary of his father's intentions and he starts to question his life as an assassin, which doesn't go down to well with Gregori. His love for his mother and there new born baby, makes him take matters into his own hands, so he can better there life and get them away from the demanding and extremely unorthodox, Gregori. This is definitely an original concept, with some great acting from Cassel, Chabriel and the little boy who goes against Gregori. The whole trained assassin element, was a bit weird and the fact that they kept on getting away with it, wasn't very realistic but the rest of the storyline was great. Scenes like when Gregori's methods were questioned by the little boy, who was totally against killing the chicken, made this film a joy to watch and the transformation for Cassel, who really did look like he had the world on his shoulders, was also impressive. For a low budget, independent movie, that didn't get the biggest distribution campaign from the studio, I'm glad that I gave this movie a chance because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great!

Round-Up: French actor Vincent Cassel, 49, first impressed me in the movie La Haine in 1995, and he has gone on to make big budget movies like Joan of Arc, Shrek, Irreversible, Ocean's 12 & 13, Derailed, Eastern Promises, Mesrine, Black Swan, A Dangerous Method and Child 44. His next big movie, Jason Bourne alongside Matt Damon, proves that he definitely has the ability to star in big budget movies, while he still makes films for his native country but I personally think that he doesn't get the recognition that he deserves. Anyway, this movie was directed and written by Ariel Kleiman, 31, who has only made 5 shorts in his career. For his first major project, he certainly got the most out of the actors and the great script kept the movie interesting, from beginning to end. 

I recommend this movie to people who are into their thriller/dramas starring Vincent Cassel, Jeremy Chabriel, Florence Mezzara and Charlotte Miller. 7/10

Surreal, subtle and subversive.

[zenn_mind · 7/10 · 12 July 2016]

The movie provides a safety of anonymity over its characters by never giving away the location of the setting, an isolated dream taking place beyond the pale of society with its own mechanism, but sometimes a lucid dream gives life to what is kept in the deep hollows of the collective consciousness.

Alexander, a young boy of sensibility, lives among a community of children and women overseen by just one man, Gregori. The film documents the manipulation that takes place as the group exist to function for a cause of its own and juxtaposes the fanaticism, of a controlled and ultimately an abusive nature, with the open wonder of the innocence of childhood.

The mechanisms of Oedipal crisis is at work and Alexander opens his eyes to the world around him, made significant with the arrival of a baby brother. However, the much debated theme, commonly based on the Freudian concept of repressed sexuality, makes its transition much quicker to the stages of puberty and adulthood as the boy begins to realize his actions must now carry the consequences of social responsibility, or the lack thereof.

The film ends abruptly to prevent something really serious from happening. Instead, it leaves us on a poignant note of a scene, reminding us of Ezekiel 25:17, with boy Alexander emanating a plea for deliverance through his being as he stares down the only responsible man in his eyes.

Dream-like, painstaking and most certainly a unique film experience that's put the young director on my radar.

Visually striking and intriguing, yet fails to engage

[eddie_baggins · 4/10 · 12 November 2015]

For all intents and purposes Partisan neither feels like, looks like or acts like an Australian film despite it very much so being one. It's a rare thing for an Australian film to achieve that feat of not actually feeling Australian and while it's hard to know whether in the case of Ariel film here if this is a good thing, it's not hard for one to feel that Partisan is a sadly frustrating experience to witness.

Filmed in a dark, gloomy and atmospheric fashion by first time feature film director Ariel Kleiman, Partisan looks the part and while it's never stated where or at what time this film takes place it has an almost 1984 feel to proceedings that gives it a universal feel that this is a tale that could be happening anywhere in our great big world. The troubling thing about Partisan is that this non-disclosure of where the film is taking place is just one of many things that it never lets the audience into.

Kleiman's whole film feels eerie, almost an Oliver Twist gone bad type feel as Vincent Cassel's Gregori looks over and trains his not so merry band of children to go about some pretty confronting missions, but Partisan never cares to absolutely let us into its mindset, although it's clear Gregori is some type of saviour to women in need.

You keep watching in hope of finding out more behind the whole thing but sadly the answers are never forthcoming, which is a shame as young actor Jeremy Chabriel handles himself well despite his character of Alexander not being an overly endearing one and Vincent Cassel (a last minute replacement of Oscar Isaac) acquits himself well. Kleiman also shows enough to suggest his future endeavors could be quite the treat and the films soundtrack by Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never) is easily one of the year's best.

It's all fine and well to have your film remain shrouded in some mystery but unfortunately for Partisan there's just too much mystery and not enough answers and the film suffers emotionally for it and fails to engage in the way in which it so easily could've. A unique Australian backed effort with moments of genuine greatness, Partisan has wins but far far too many losses to compensate for.

2 upside-down chickens out of 5

It was a weird one.

[subxerogravity · 6/10 · 6 October 2015]

I'm a fan of the actor Vincent Cassel so that was enough to get me to go see the movie.

He plays a cult-like leader of a small hidden society made up of woman and children in a dystopian future, when his warp Mister Rodgers charms is not working on one of the boys it threatens to untangle what he created.

Past this, I could not tell you what the movie was about. Though they gave some clues of what cause whatever apocalypse they were living in, most of what's going on is left to the imagination.

So the movie relies on the abilities of Cassel and his interaction with his strange tribe of children. It was noteworthy to see the emotional conflict bouncing back and forth with Cassel to the rest of the cast.

Especially, the lead boy who basically is realizing that the life these people are leading is wrong and not for him, and it's setting him aside from his mother.

It can be very distracting from the fact that the movie has a plot I don't fully understand.

But I did like it.

Slow, tedious, unfocused and not particularly well thought out

[jimbo-53-186511 · 2/10 · 2 May 2016]

Rather than use my own plot summary I think it would be easier to evaluate this film using IMDb's own plot summary which is as follows;

"Alexander, a boy who has been raised in a sequestered commune, finds that his increasing unwillingness to fall in line puts him on a collision course with Gregori, the society's charismatic and domineering leader"

Perhaps the problem for me with this film lay with my expectations of it and, given its premise, I expected a film that was about a brutal man and his tyrannical regime coupled with a young boy trying to overthrow his regime at every opportunity. Although there are certain moments in this film where both elements exist neither element is really given the focus required to make it a particularly good story or an involving experience. The film is supposed to be about Alexander trying to overthrow Gregori's regime, but examples of him trying to do this are few and far between and I also felt his reasons for wishing to do so were rather flimsy. It didn't really help that I never really saw Gregori as a tyrant either (I felt he was more misguided than anything) and this is another reason that I became drawn away from the film as the characters and their actions never really felt believable.

Other more noticeable issues with the film lie with the pacing which is slow and tedious. There are long stretches of the film where nothing seems to happen making the film feel quite boring most of the time. I also felt that the film was unfocused and had no central narrative - Alexander flits between being an assassin and an objector with very little hanging these story arcs together. Although the film uses these 2 aspects to tell Alexander's story neither of the story arcs are developed particularly well making the whole film feel woefully and frustratingly undercooked.

The only real positive about this film was Vincent Cassel who can almost make anything watchable and I also thought the kid who played Alexander did a solid job too. However, with weak material, unfocused plotting, and pretentious artsy direction Partisan was always destined to fail.

Beware of false prophets......

[FlashCallahan · 6/10 · 10 January 2016]

Gregori, who operates a child assassin patriarch, adopts newborn Alexander after seeing his mother, Susanna, without a partner at a hospital.

Eleven years later, Alexander is now, unbeknown to him, an adept assassin running missions with other children adopted in the same manner.

Gregori tells the children the world is full of terrible men which is why they must carry out their missions, but Alexander becomes more aware of the outside world, and Gregori realises his controlling aura is fading.......

Cults are a funny thing, on one hand, they can be a terrifying aspect of life, Waco comes to mind, and the film that tried to emulate that 'Red State'. On the other, they can be as bonkers as they come, like that bloke a few years ago who recruited a few mentally inept people, telling them there was a shuttle behind a comet that would take them to paradise.........there wasn't.

But they all have one word in common...........sinister.

And this is the reason why the film works in some ways, and in others, it doesn't, because the narrative spoon feeds you the fact that Cassel isn't all what he seems, and he isn't the bohemian saviour the children are led to believe, he's just a business man, plain and simple, and the children are his work tools.

But the narrative doesn't focus on Gregori and his school of Leon's and Nikitas, which would make an interesting film on its own, it focuses more on the hierarchy of the children and their relationship with Gregori, as it appears that Alexander was the first addition to Gregori's 'family', as his mother wears almost managerial clothing as compared to the other mothers.

Cassel is wonderful as the puppet master who's strings are starting to fray, and his on screen relationship with Alexander is as distressing as it is calming. The audience knows that Alexander is becoming aware of Gregori's domination, and know that Gregori too is aware, making the second and third act very intense.

But then, just after the chicken incident, the film loses its way as fast as Gregori loses respect from the family, and it begins to leave a lot of unanswered questions, such as, why did Alexander give Leo the food, and where did Leo and his mother go? Were they killed, sis Alexander subliminally kill them? And what is the purpose of the boy on the hill? An image of realism in Alexander's life?

But the stark imagery is mind blowing, and there are some scenes that could almost represent the films genre as horror.

An oddity for sure, full of vibrancy and angst, but like a headless chicken, loses its way toward the end.

Depressing, dark, dinghy, dismal flick

[FountainPen · 2/10 · 21 May 2016]

Depressing, dark, dingy, dismal flick with no real positives. I tried to "like" it, to understand it, to appreciate it, but the task was fruitless -- however serious my efforts. To add to my plight, the film is extremely slow-moving, plods along at an inexcusably doddering, halting pace. Perhaps it makes some sense in its original language, to people in the area, but to this well-travelled mature westerner, it was pointless and frustrating. I gave it 2 stars because the actors seemed intent, and there was no intrusive music. I suppose the best destination for this type of cinematic venture would be an "art playhouse". It is decidedly outside the mainstream of things and beyond my comprehension.

Richly Layered

[Cathex · 9/10 · 3 November 2015]

This film presents a microcosm of a society governed by a strong patriarchy. Ostensibly it's a haven for those who have suffered at the hands of the wider world but, as the movie slowly reveals, the line between the safety of a haven and the exclusion of fascism is hard to draw.

The most common complaint against this film appears to be that it is 'ambiguous'. However, in my opinion, the film is not ambiguous at all, rather it is 'ambivalent', which may have confused some. The film swings between dichotomies - love and aggression, truth and lies, freedom and control etc. Beautifully summed up by a shot in which Gregory carries in one hand bandages and in the other scissors, perhaps also emblematic of the Eagle in the US federal seal (olive branch in one claw, arrows in the other, literally meaning peace and war).

In my view this film presents us with a social philosophy, one which examines how the sins of our past are passed down onto the children of our future. Even with the best intentions the patriarchal harem that 'Gregory' has created, with its goal of protection, relies on his ability to be totally benign which, owing to the vicissitudes of human nature, is impossible. Thus the ideal of fascism becomes a facade behind which repression and hypocrisy reside. The micro-society depicted is a partisan one. However, the true follower of its values himself becomes a partisan and ironically is therefore in transgression of his autocratic ruler.

There are rich visual metaphors throughout which support a fully animated subtext. All elements of this film are superb, including the acting and the directors gradual unravelling of the pervasive ambivalence in relationships is masterful. The message here can be translated both socially and personally and because of that, like many great films before it, it has a multiform impact and can be watched in many ways. It's not quite genius, but it is extremely good.

Personal, relevant and very well made.

Superb in technicalities yet less solid in story-telling

[Seraphion · 7/10 · 10 October 2015]

The story looks much like the child soldiers found in Latin America or Africa. But this movie took it a little bit farther by adding the exclusive enclave Gregori sets up and the whole harem of desperate women. Being told from Alexander's point of view, the movie sure look bleak with only the scenes from the enclave dominant throughout the duration. But this gives the movie ample space to show the breadth of the main problem character in Gregori. The acting overall is a great job, mainly for Vincent Cassel's work. His acting here is great, intimidating at all his scenes, even on the relatively laid-back ones. Jeremy Chabriel played his role well enough to keep the child perspective believable. Unfortunately the presentation wasn't tat good as the movie paces very slowly with much of it's duration covering non-essentials too much. The thriller moments are also found seldom.

The chickens come home to roost

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 29 August 2019]

Partisan should had been a much better film with a smarter script and better director. It is a dark brooding drama heightened by Vincent Cassell's simmering performance of underlying menace.

Cassell plays Gregori as a modern day Fagin. He operates a commune in an isolated decaying part of town that consists of single mothers raising children. Gregori is the father figure in this self sustaining commune but it not all hippyish ideals with the community raising their own livestock and vegetables.

Gregori is operating the kids as assassins and robbers, these young people are killers including 11 year old Alexander (Jeremy Chabriel) who starts to question Gregori's authority and his way of life. Another boy Leo flouts the rules of the commune especially when he refuses to eat chickens and then disappears along with his mother.

Partisan is about Gregori trying not to lose control, a cult leader who is just another criminal gang leader using child assassins. I can see Partisan attracting a cult reputation with its moody tone but it feels underwritten, the characters and plot needed to be fleshed out.

What is this movie about?!?

[mkrjmn · 7/10 · 23 September 2015]

Polygamist makes living for his growing family with a call-hit business by growing assassins from the early days of their lives. A few days ago media reported a 41 year old deploying kids-3&8 year old-for stealing bags from under restaurant tables. Did she watch this work? Or, did producers know such stuff in a reality prior to making a film? Actors play well and Alexander's subversive behavior is rather something inspired by Prometeus story rather than by a real life: outside Australia gypsies live and they mostly change places anyway. Do young Bedouins fight their tribe to settle somewhere in Saudi Arabia or follow a tradition? Newertheless any deep idea underlying, murderer is a murderer and his kid-killer business is awful deed, by screening to make a propaganda of.

A waste of time

[wadeward-623-757256 · 2/10 · 27 November 2015]

This movie makes no sense. We are never told why children are used as assassins. Gregori seems to treat the children well, but on the other hand, he has trained them as baby hit-men. There may indeed be evil people outside the compound — we see that all around us in the world we live in now, so why are the people killed chosen to be executed? What have they done to deserve to be executed?

How can Alexander justify killing Gregori? If Alexander kills Gregori what sort of a monster will he be as he grows older?

If you like watching meaningless movies posing as deep thinking, this could be for you. If not avoid this one. You'll be left with nothing more than a wasted 98 minutes.

Bad one

[splavovi · 1/10 · 29 November 2015]

So many good actors in a movie, but so bad movie. Ending so pointless.

Like the story is unfinished. Undone.

Meaningless and pointless story, when it is unfinished like this.

Waste of time and money for nothing.

Vincent Cassel is a great actor.

I like almost every movie with him in it.

Florence Mezzara was acting great in this movie and would like to see her in many more movies.

But none like this one.

Good actors, good acting, but bad storyline.

Child soldiers in a surreal commune fortress

[tomasv-456-464978 · 9/10 · 26 January 2015]

Partisan tells the story of a brilliant, highly determined man with a damaged past, Gregori (Vincent Cassel) who constructs a commune, assimilates a group of troubled women and trains and army of child soldiers. It is set in a protected compound, shielded from perceived evil of the people outside of the walls. The setting is a surreal fortress - part labyrinth, part garden of Eden.

The story is told through the eyes of a brave, clever boy, Alexander, the son and product of Gregori. As a result of the boy's perspective, very little is told about the outside world - we learn only bits and pieces as Alexander is sent out on brutal but brief assassination missions.

Gregori plays Father and God to the children of the commune, mentoring Alexander and the other children in various survival skills such as shooting and navigation. When the audience asked for more back story about the outside world, Ariel (director) said "we wanted to only show the world as seen through Alex's eyes, beyond that we didn't care."

The film sets up with a hopeful Utopian society but turns quickly Noir as several twisted, internal conflicts develop and Alex starts to challenge his father's utilitarian command. The story-telling, cinematography and dialogue are chilling. Throughout the film many of the shots are as long as 25 seconds with no cuts.

Fun fact - I spoke with Germaine after the film who told me in the first 2 days of filming he broke his ankle in an unfortunate camera dolly accident and had to endure rest of film in a cast.

In post premiere Q&A Ariel said that the story was inspired by real child soldiers of Colombia.

Prepare yourself for a visceral, emotional journey. Partisan is not just entertainment, it is profound art. I had the honor of seeing this film at the world premiere in the Library Theater at Sundance 2015 and meeting the cast and crew. It was my favorite of the festival.

This is a rare movie!

[xlon · 9/10 · 27 April 2017]

I've seen this movie a few times and each time I'm more troubled and impressed. It appears to be about an independent community, certainly a cult but ALL I see is a rare and brilliant reflection about religions. It may have not been intended this way but this is my perception. I can hear your bashing but I have to say it: central figure demanding total submission from the parishioners, total control of the leader, believe and don't research, ideological excuses for horrific crimes against disobedient parishioners and humans, second rank status for women, lies, fabricated reality, extreme manipulation, polygamy, pure deprivation and no moral standards, etc.The movie show them all in a very subtle but direct way. he casting is amazing. Jeremy's instinctive resilience to the abuse is unique and central to the movie. Movies are supposed to make you feel and think and not offer you on a plate solutions and closure. So-called critics: shush! It may be just my pre-disposition for deeper analysis and thoughts but the link to my reality is so strong and I can't ignore it. On top of my preferences and I've seen thousands (I have a taste for movies that really say something meaningful about the human nature). Be gentle!

A dark and intelligent, character driven film.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 14 October 2015]

Vincent Casel plays Gregori, the King and leader of his self created Utopia, made of damaged women and children groomed for a life of crime and control from Gregori. The children are made to commit horrendous crimes, including murder. Gregori considers himself a figure akin to a religious leader, instead he's a spider at the centre of a web. One of his boys 'Alexander' has the mental ability to look beyond Gregori's brainwashing, he begins to question the life he's living and soon starts challenging Gregori. Alexander also has a natural curiosity for life outside the commune, his mind is inquisitive, naturally so at his age. As the film goes on it becomes apparent that Gregori and Alexander will never see eye to eye and the commune will never be big enough for the two.

A very intelligent movie, it's one that will make you think and ask do similar events happen in the world. It is a very original movie, I can't think of many similar movies I've seen.

The movie is hugely character driven, there are some long dialogues, deliberately there to show the motives and conflicts of Gregori in particular.

Some moments where you're not quite sure what's going to happen, Alexander's trip to the shop being one. In my opinion the story is actually very strong, it's all about Gregori creating his own mini world, adding what he wants, and ridding what threatens it.

Brilliance from Vincent Cassel, as is often the case, he manages to make Gregori manipulative, powerful and somehow dangerous, he put in an excellent performance.

Just Excellent. 9/10

Something to think about before you go to sleep

[beadgirl-21129 · 9/10 · 5 March 2020]

Before seeing the artwork, and with a name like "Partisan", one might first think this is a film about the French or Allied Resistance during WWII, which it is not. Plot descriptions and the Synopsis quickly disabuse one of that thought. However, that does not mean that this little film is not without some merit because, contrary to some of the reviews at this site, at Rotten Tomatoes and other purveyors of movie opinions, I think this film is worth watching. But do not expect a trip down the yellow-brick road or pleasant journey to la-la or some fantasy land.

"Partisan" is an interesting, intriguing, thought-provoking, and curious first-time production from Director/Co-Author Ariel Kleiman well-worth one's time and effort. Curious in the many questions that one might have, including several professional movie "critics", that are NEVER answered, let alone even ASKED within the context of the film. Thought-provoking and a little disturbing in the "picture it paints" of the break-down in Society and the Different responses to such a break-down within one location following a worldwide catastrophic event. Intriguing, as you watch the society one man is attempting to create that he believes, in his slightly deluded thinking, is a "better" way forward.

We are never told exactly what this event was or how long ago it occurred. As the movie opens we are given a hint that something is different, not quite "right". The camera pans up and out after the first establishing shot to show us buildings with blown out windows and a general air of dishevelment. It is not OUR time, but you're not sure if it is the Future or some alternative Past. It is just Different. Different in the Nurses' uniforms and in the way newborns are handled immediately after birth. For a flash of a second you might think "A Handmaid's Tale". But that image is replaced as you watch Vincent Cassel's character visit a new mother and her infant son, who you discover later, he has "recruited" to join his commune, of sorts.

It is the interplay of the members of the commune, who are all women with their children and Cassel's character, and the nature of a society he is trying to create that is the focus of the film. Some critics and reviewers feel that the unanswered questions in the film mean it is unfocused and incomplete. Or that without deeper context it stretches a tiny idea too far. I'll admit that that can be a bit disconcerting. But I believe that that IS exactly its strength and a key factor in the theme of the film. The viewer is left to fill in some of the blanks, and with no preconceptions as to the 'whys and the wherefores', the stark reality of what Cassel's character is creating comes forward. Whether you, and the character played by Jeremy Chabriel, will ultimately agree with that creation is the point. In the end, you are left to make up your own mind, as you see Chabriel's intention, but not his final choice.

This is NOT a picture to watch if you are MERELY looking to be "Entertained" in a big budget, luscious, Hollywood "blockbuster" style. You won't find that here. It is also not a film to watch if you are already in a dark place or bordering on a depressive episode, as it could push your thoughts to an even darker mood.

However, it is not "just a time-waster" either. Be prepared to become engaged in the story and pay attention, as that is the only way you'll be able to follow what is going on. It WILL draw you in. And, as the film was shown at Sundance Film Festival, and won one of their awards, that gives it Merit and warrants respect in my book. "Partisan" is worth the time to watch, and it just might get you thinking about where this "human race" of ours is heading.

ten from me

[dodi-89267 · 10/10 · 8 May 2021]

Very unusual story and very interesting movie. It can make everybody start to think . Vincent Cassel is perfect, he can give a sense to any idea.

SLOWBURNING CHARACTER ARC

[jankobeo · 9/10 · 3 August 2023]

Besides originality and very special arty atmosphere that this film delivers without pretentiousness, there is beautifully development of the main character. At the beginning I had trouble identifying with quiet, almost emotionless child. But as the movie builds very sophisticated tension and starts to introduce inner and outer conflicts, I got surprised how strongly and truly I rooted for the boy. And not solely for the boy, but also for all other victimized people in that uncanny community. The scenery is also fascinating, shooting locations where mostly in Georgia, former Soviet Union country. Few details in character description as one with earplugs at the end are brilliant.