L'Enfer (2005)

67% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
71% of users liked it
(1,004 ratings)

Set in Paris in the 1980s, a tale of three sisters and their mother who are estranged due to a childhood marked by family tragedy, but a terrible secret from their past brings them together.

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 38 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.

L'Enfer (2005)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Daniel P

Cast