L'Enfer (2005)

67% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
50% want to see it
(723 ratings)

Director Danis Tanovic picks up where the late-Krzysztof Kieslowski left off by taking on the second installment of Kieslowski's "Heaven," "Hell," and "Purgatory" trilogy (the first was adapted by Run Lola Run director Tom Tykwer) with this tale of a family whose dark past returns with a vengeance.… More Director Danis Tanovic picks up where the late-Krzysztof Kieslowski left off by taking on the second installment of Kieslowski's "Heaven," "Hell," and "Purgatory" trilogy (the first was adapted by Run Lola Run director Tom Tykwer) with this tale of a family whose dark past returns with a vengeance. Loosely modeled by screenwriter Krzysztof Piesiewicz on the second act of Dante's Inferno, Hell tells the story of sisters Sophie (Emmanuelle Béart), Céline (Karin Viard), and Anne (Marie Gillain), whose lives were turned upside down when their father was imprisoned and their mother was rendered a wheelchair-bound mute. As the estranged sisters are slowly brought back together by a mysterious and handsome stranger who is somehow involved with the tragic events of the past, the questions that had for years gone unanswered slowly begin to drift into focus. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 41 min.
Directed By: Danis Tanovic
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

Critic Reviews

Scott Foundas, Variety
A decidedly cold, protracted work marked by solid, but passionless performances and a preference for polished, fashion-magazine imagery.
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
For all its literary references, the thing certainly looks like a shallow though slick French melodrama.
Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)
The spectre of Kieslowski flutters through the film, but his eye and touch aren't there%u2014it's hard to watch L'Enfer without wondering, what would he have done?
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
The characters fascinate yet confuse. Surprisingly, the film keeps us at arms length. On reflection, I enjoyed the film more after it had finished, when I could dip back into this claustrophobic world and relive the unfolding of events in my mind.
Sean Axmaker, GreenCine
Tanovic turns the drama of three damaged sisters... into a full-blooded opera with performances to match.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
A multi-layered tale that's as compelling on a surface level as it is laden with food-for-thought underneath.
Jon Popick, Planet Sick-Boy
Gave me goose-bumps from both its content and its quality.

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Daniel P

Hell (L'Enfer as it's known in its native France) is the second film in a planned trilogy that began with the underrated Heaven directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi, based upon scripts… More
Hell (L'Enfer as it's known in its native France) is the second film in a planned trilogy that began with the underrated Heaven directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi, based upon scripts by the late, great Krzsztof Kieslowksi (the Three Colours trilogy). The two films share little in common aside from their 'unclassifiableness' and their emotional power.A difficult film to analyse, Hell, directed by Academy Award winner Danis Tanovic (No Man's Land) is overflowing with ideas concerning philosophy, psyche, and emotional detachment and yet is still accessible, unpretentious and, whilst it takes itself necessarily seriously, it is also sometimes blackly funny. There's an exceptional eye for detail that's appropriately worthy of Kieslowski himself; even the opening credits concerning the plight of a bird and the eggs she is watching is gripping and gives the first insight into some of the horror that lies ahead. Although, in all probability, as with Heaven, the title is meant to be ironic, for despite some excellently shot shocks, a pervading sense of dread and a creepily effective final scene, there is some hope to the characters' lives as the film unwinds its secrets. Stunning cinematography, a thoughtful color scheme (each story thread seems to have its own tone), featuring a nicely dramatic music score and complimented by a trio of leading French actresses giving nuanced performances (Emmanuelle Béart, Karin Viard and Marie Gillain), Hell is very impressive.

Cast

            Emmanuelle Béart as Sophie

            Karin Viard as CÃ©line

            Marie Gillain as Anne

            Carole Bouquet as The Mother

            Guillaume Canet as SÃ©bastien

            Jacques Gamblin as Pierre

            Jacques Perrin as FrÃ©dÃ©ric

            Miki Manojlovic as The father

            Maryam d'Abo as Julie

            Gaëlle Bona as JosÃ©phine

            Dominique Reymond as Michelle

            Jean Rochefort as Louis

            Françoise Bertin as Neighbour

            Patrick Paroux as Taxi Driver

            Serge-Henri Valcke as Bookseller

            Esther Gorintin as Old Lady

            Georges Siatidis as Ticket Inspector

            Véronique Barrault as Professor

            Olivier Claverie as Professor

            Candide Sanchez as CafÃ© Waiter Serving Anne

            Louis-Marie Audubert as Hotel Receptionist

            Eric Naggar as Professor

            Tiffany Tougard as CÃ©line As a Child

            Marie Loboda as Sophie As a Child

            Emma Cuzon as Anne As a Child

            Julian Ciais as SÃ©bastien As a Child

            Arnaud Churin as Man in Hotel Room

            Jean-Louis Barcelona as Newspaper Seller

            Elodie Hesme as Shop Assistant

            Tatiana Gontcharova as Phone Box Woman

            Jean-Marc Bihour as Barman Serving CÃ©line

            Emmanuelle Cosso as Gynaecologist's Secretary

            Jérôme Le Paulmier as College CafÃ© Staff

            Clara Tissandier as Claire

            Neil Ounaïs as Philippe

            Thomas Broustet as FrÃ©dÃ©ric's Older Son

            Isidore Renting as FrÃ©dÃ©ric's Younger Son

            Camille Roche as Girl Playing Hopscotch

            Margaux Roche as Girl Playing Hopscotch

            Francesca Stirbu as Girl Playing Hopscotch

            Luc Favrou as Priest

            Benoit Lahoz as Nurse

            Florent Guillaume as Nurse

            Mme. Guillemin as Nursing Home Taxi Driver

            Yvon Bernard as Young Married Man

            Cathy Neimark as Young Married Woman

            Cyril Ryckermen as Photographer's Assistant

            Elisabeth Colony as Model

            Charlotte Poutrel as Model

            Pauline Reinert as Girl in Photo

            Amandine Decroix as Girl in Photo

            Joel Templeur as Lad Chatting With Anne in CafÃ©

            Jean-Claude Roger as Man With Newspaper in CafÃ©

            Elodie Rousseau as Train Passenger

            Paula Onclin as Train Passenger

            Brigitte Belle as Woman in Hotel Room

            Marion Aydalot as Woman in Bed
See full cast