This very well-made, very well-acted little thriller is reminiscent of Brian De Palma at his prime, except it's less flashy and more psychologically sound. Olivier Masset Depasse successfully maintains the ambiguity around Alice (is she losing her grip on reality, or is she sensing the truth?), and the ending is unexpectedly bleak and disturbing. This movie sends you out a little shaken. *** out of 4.
13 Reviews
An irrational and cold corrida between two female friends
FrenchEddieFelson3 May 2019
In the 60s, two families live in two terraced houses in the upper-crust Brussels suburbs. A kind of a dolce vita in Belgium. Consecutively to a tragic accident, the film flips all of a sudden, and the atmosphere becomes desperately angsty with a vertiginous spiral towards the depths of the abyss: loss of confidence, need of revenge, paranoia and tutti quanti. The main character is Alice played by the delicious Veerle Baetens already seen in The Broken Circle Breakdown (Felix van Groeningen, 2012) and the manifold plot twists are focused on this specific character.
The cast is excellent, especially the 2 main actresses Veerle Baetens and Anne Coesens, without forgetting the child Jules Lefebvre. The sets are very realistic. Photography is neat and the sense of detail is boosted to the extreme, up to the hairstyles.
The cast is excellent, especially the 2 main actresses Veerle Baetens and Anne Coesens, without forgetting the child Jules Lefebvre. The sets are very realistic. Photography is neat and the sense of detail is boosted to the extreme, up to the hairstyles.
Keeps you on the edge of your seat
rubenm1 May 2019
When a mother loses a young child after a fatal accident, the first thing she does is reproach herself. Céline, one of the two leads in 'Duelles', is no exception. Why did she leave her son alone in a room with an open window? Why hasn't she been more careful? But in this case, she also reproaches her neighbour Alice. She thinks Alice could have prevented the accident. The two neighbours, who are also close friends, start to distrust each other and soon things are getting out of hand.
'Duelles' is a very effective psychological thriller, cleverly creating doubt in the minds of the audience. Alice thinks Céline somehow wants to take revenge. But isn't she imagining things? At one point, even her husband starts thinking she is going nuts. Is she right or is she wrong? Until the very end, the viewer remains in doubt. But when the answer finally comes, it is extremely spectacular.
The very clever screenplay is the outstanding feature of this Belgian film. But it is not the only one. The acting by the two leading ladies is excellent. Both switch from being self-assured and even glamorous to vulnerable and heart-broken. The period setting is another nice feature of this film. It is set in the early sixties, with a lot of attention to details. House decoration, clothing, hairdo's and cars: everything is a joy to watch. The lush cinematography accentuates it all. And the icing on the cake is the exceptionally effective soundtrack, which is perfect in supporting the increasing feeling of unease.
This is a very beautiful film to look at, which keeps you permanently on the edge of your seat. It deserves a large audience. To be honest, I was surprised by the relatively low IMDb-rating and the small number of reviews. I can only recommend it.
'Duelles' is a very effective psychological thriller, cleverly creating doubt in the minds of the audience. Alice thinks Céline somehow wants to take revenge. But isn't she imagining things? At one point, even her husband starts thinking she is going nuts. Is she right or is she wrong? Until the very end, the viewer remains in doubt. But when the answer finally comes, it is extremely spectacular.
The very clever screenplay is the outstanding feature of this Belgian film. But it is not the only one. The acting by the two leading ladies is excellent. Both switch from being self-assured and even glamorous to vulnerable and heart-broken. The period setting is another nice feature of this film. It is set in the early sixties, with a lot of attention to details. House decoration, clothing, hairdo's and cars: everything is a joy to watch. The lush cinematography accentuates it all. And the icing on the cake is the exceptionally effective soundtrack, which is perfect in supporting the increasing feeling of unease.
This is a very beautiful film to look at, which keeps you permanently on the edge of your seat. It deserves a large audience. To be honest, I was surprised by the relatively low IMDb-rating and the small number of reviews. I can only recommend it.
cleverly spun psychological thriller
myriamlenys10 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Two very similar families living in an idyllic suburb are neighbours and friends. One day the mother of one of the families witnesses the small son of her neighbour taking an unreasonable risk. Although she reacts with commendable speed and enterprise, as any responsible citizen would, she cannot save the child. The accidental death of the little boy is about to start a spiral of fear, envy and resentment...
Unless I'm very much mistaken this movie is based on a book by Barbara Abel, a French-speaking Belgian specialized in thrillers and "polars". Blushing profoundly, I've got to admit I never read any of her work. Still, watching the movie one recognizes a well-plotted intrigue plus a convincing atmosphere of dread and despair. I was somewhat reminded of the work of Ruth Rendell, another author capable of conjuring up the psychological horrors hiding behind well-kept gardens and leafy suburbs.
There are many things to like, such as the good acting by all of the protagonists. In my humble opinion the first half of the movie is better than the second half, but still : a very watchable effort. At least one scene chills to the bone, to wit a scene where a child attends the funeral of his friend and discovers, with a great deal of spontaneous indignation, that his own cuddly toy animal is lying in the coffin, next to the deceased. Memorable stuff...
Unless I'm very much mistaken this movie is based on a book by Barbara Abel, a French-speaking Belgian specialized in thrillers and "polars". Blushing profoundly, I've got to admit I never read any of her work. Still, watching the movie one recognizes a well-plotted intrigue plus a convincing atmosphere of dread and despair. I was somewhat reminded of the work of Ruth Rendell, another author capable of conjuring up the psychological horrors hiding behind well-kept gardens and leafy suburbs.
There are many things to like, such as the good acting by all of the protagonists. In my humble opinion the first half of the movie is better than the second half, but still : a very watchable effort. At least one scene chills to the bone, to wit a scene where a child attends the funeral of his friend and discovers, with a great deal of spontaneous indignation, that his own cuddly toy animal is lying in the coffin, next to the deceased. Memorable stuff...
Excellent
yarra196613 June 2020
If Alfred Hitchcock was alive and well and making movies in France, this would be the sort of thing he'd be doing. And my hat is off to Olivier Masset-Depasse for adding his own sinister touch to it. Under his direction, all of the actors are outstanding--which is important because in the wrong hands the story could have turned out like a Lifetime movie. But I was truly on the edge of my seat for much of this.
Final I would not have counted on!!
marco-1706922 August 2021
A slowly illuminating red light
TheDragonTrader24 May 2021
After a tragic accident shatters the friendly alliance between two neighbours, they start harassing each other to find out who really was responsible for what happened. While the audience at first thinks it was a perfectly banal accident, their doubt is being fuelled scene after scene...
Veerle Baetens' en Anne Coessens' performances are filled with subtle mistrust and held-back anger. These two characters playing off each other are a true feast for the spectators. Also the young Jules Lefebre acts with a maturity beyond his years. The cinematography by Hichame Alaouie is effective and - even though the pace at times threatens to slow down a bit too much - keeps every scene interesting and fresh: playing with angles, lighting and other effects to signify the slow descent into madness. Olivier Masset-Depasses' direction is clean, whilst never sinking into blandness.
However, the omnipresent score is overblown and lacks subtlety, but regularly does capture the right atmosphere for the scene. The story after a while threatens to loose its own point, but regains its footing again in the finale. And what a chilling finale that was! One last nit-picking comment can be that the film could have raised uncertainty and suspicion even more than it in fact did.
Finally, one cannot ignore the not-so-subtle hints to Hitchcock's work in the production design, costumes and building of tension. It's expertly done and - in my humble opinion - this movie is perfectly capable of standing between great names such as 'Rear Window' and 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'. A shame it only came out in 2018, because back in the 60's, it would have perplexed it's audiences. It's not without drawbacks, but then again... which one of Hitchcock wasn't?
Veerle Baetens' en Anne Coessens' performances are filled with subtle mistrust and held-back anger. These two characters playing off each other are a true feast for the spectators. Also the young Jules Lefebre acts with a maturity beyond his years. The cinematography by Hichame Alaouie is effective and - even though the pace at times threatens to slow down a bit too much - keeps every scene interesting and fresh: playing with angles, lighting and other effects to signify the slow descent into madness. Olivier Masset-Depasses' direction is clean, whilst never sinking into blandness.
However, the omnipresent score is overblown and lacks subtlety, but regularly does capture the right atmosphere for the scene. The story after a while threatens to loose its own point, but regains its footing again in the finale. And what a chilling finale that was! One last nit-picking comment can be that the film could have raised uncertainty and suspicion even more than it in fact did.
Finally, one cannot ignore the not-so-subtle hints to Hitchcock's work in the production design, costumes and building of tension. It's expertly done and - in my humble opinion - this movie is perfectly capable of standing between great names such as 'Rear Window' and 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'. A shame it only came out in 2018, because back in the 60's, it would have perplexed it's audiences. It's not without drawbacks, but then again... which one of Hitchcock wasn't?
More endings like this please...
reynaglynn10 November 2019
A great movie
an-cazaerck8 August 2021
Really better cliffhanger than a Hitchcock's movie
Aatchoum23 February 2020
If Hitchcock were Belgium
gnarwock-4203527 October 2023
He could/would be proud of this one.
Ticks so many boxes: Production design 9 Acting performances 9 Plot twist 9 Pace 7 Score 7 Casting 10 What's not to like. Now I've got to get to the required characters of 600 for this review to be valid, but that's an easy peasy lemon squeezy job. This movie sucked me in from minute one and never let go. Sometimes you would think: is the protagonist going nad, or is she the only one thinking straight? All this in a time period where men could still decide about theit wives' wellbeing by just stating they're crazy. This is a director I will follow and hope stands up to (t)his very promising standard.
Ticks so many boxes: Production design 9 Acting performances 9 Plot twist 9 Pace 7 Score 7 Casting 10 What's not to like. Now I've got to get to the required characters of 600 for this review to be valid, but that's an easy peasy lemon squeezy job. This movie sucked me in from minute one and never let go. Sometimes you would think: is the protagonist going nad, or is she the only one thinking straight? All this in a time period where men could still decide about theit wives' wellbeing by just stating they're crazy. This is a director I will follow and hope stands up to (t)his very promising standard.
Accurate portrayal of a psychopathic narcissist
DarknessVisible205 November 2023
The French know how to make a solid thriller, and this is one of the best I've seen, I would say rivaling even some of Hitchcock's greatest works.
Two women are best friends as well as next-door neighbors, with sons who are the same age. When one of the boys dies in a freak accident, the mother of the dead boy blames her friend, and decides to get revenge by slowly and steadily making life hell for the friend and her family.
Like any skilled psychopathic narcissist, she does this slowly and methodically, turning her targets against one another in the process. The friend being targeted realizes what is happening, only to be labeled as 'crazy' by her own husband, which is absolutely infuriating.
The tension builds as the crazy one goes further and further in making the family's life hell with evil deeds. However, she does so in such sneaky ways that make it very difficult to prove her evil intent, and thus the person accusing her is not believed. Which is exactly how these malignant types work, and they know exactly what they're doing.
Great movie though, captivating and very tense.
I wish the ending had turned out differently, but just like in real life, when a malignant narcissist infests your life, the outcome is rarely a happy one.
Two stars off for the unnecessary, long sex scene.
Two women are best friends as well as next-door neighbors, with sons who are the same age. When one of the boys dies in a freak accident, the mother of the dead boy blames her friend, and decides to get revenge by slowly and steadily making life hell for the friend and her family.
Like any skilled psychopathic narcissist, she does this slowly and methodically, turning her targets against one another in the process. The friend being targeted realizes what is happening, only to be labeled as 'crazy' by her own husband, which is absolutely infuriating.
The tension builds as the crazy one goes further and further in making the family's life hell with evil deeds. However, she does so in such sneaky ways that make it very difficult to prove her evil intent, and thus the person accusing her is not believed. Which is exactly how these malignant types work, and they know exactly what they're doing.
Great movie though, captivating and very tense.
I wish the ending had turned out differently, but just like in real life, when a malignant narcissist infests your life, the outcome is rarely a happy one.
Two stars off for the unnecessary, long sex scene.
Excellent thriller.
hoogmeulen-0854027 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Never predictable, well acted, frightening. Convincing story right up to the end. French, but could very well be English.
You sit there hoping for an end to the story, but no, yet another turn, and another.... Best thriller I have seen in a very long time. Nice details are the cars, the clothes, the late 50's decor. And if you have a heart condition, close your eyes at the last scenes.
I did, my wife told me what was going on. Hahahahahaha.
Seriously. The ending is not what movies like these normally offer. So be prepared. The actors won prizes, Celine, the blond, is outstanding. So is the boy that plays Theo.
You sit there hoping for an end to the story, but no, yet another turn, and another.... Best thriller I have seen in a very long time. Nice details are the cars, the clothes, the late 50's decor. And if you have a heart condition, close your eyes at the last scenes.
I did, my wife told me what was going on. Hahahahahaha.
Seriously. The ending is not what movies like these normally offer. So be prepared. The actors won prizes, Celine, the blond, is outstanding. So is the boy that plays Theo.
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