The Intruder (L'Intrus) (2005)

85% of critics liked it
(26 reviews)
69% of users liked it
(9,539 ratings)

Claire Denis' elliptical drama L'Intrus was inspired by a short book written by philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy about his heart transplant. In the film, Michel Subor (Le Petit Soldat) stars as Louis, who lives fairly self-sufficiently in a small cabin in the snowy wilds near the Swiss border. Louis has a… More Claire Denis' elliptical drama L'Intrus was inspired by a short book written by philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy about his heart transplant. In the film, Michel Subor (Le Petit Soldat) stars as Louis, who lives fairly self-sufficiently in a small cabin in the snowy wilds near the Swiss border. Louis has a son (Grégoire Colin, who also starred with Subor in the director's Beau Travail) whose wife (Florence Loiret-Caille) is a border guard, and they have two young children, but Louis has a strained relationship with his family. He lives a hard, stoic life out in the cold. Mysterious strangers cross the border at all hours of the day and night, and Louis vigilantly -- sometimes violently -- protects his homestead. It soon comes to pass that he needs a heart transplant. Louis quickly and quietly makes some arrangements, and travels to Pusan for the operation. He makes the demand that he be given a young man's heart, and not a woman's. His health still failing, Louis then travels to Tahiti, hoping for a final reunion with another son, whom he abandoned years before. The footage of the young Subor in Tahiti was taken from an uncompleted adaptation of a Robert Louis Stevenson story directed by Paul Gégauff. L'Intrus also stars Béatrice Dalle, Katia Golubeva, and Alex Descas in smaller roles. The film was shown by the Film Society of Lincoln Center as part of 2005's Rendez-Vous With French Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: G, 2 hr. 10 min.
Directed By: Claire Denis
Written By: Claire Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Dec 23, 2005 Limited
On DVD: Apr 25, 2006
Studio: Wellspring

Critic Reviews

G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
An interior epic with epic exteriors, a film with very little dialogue, where the pictures (photographed by the great Agnès Godard), actors and the juxtaposition of both tell the story.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Never has Denis demanded so much from audiences as with this shimmering enigma, at once intimate and epic, but it's worth the effort and then some.
Jay Weissberg, Variety
A beautiful, complex work that challenges viewers to mentally sift interior and exterior journeys.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
Denis composes a majestic dream book of shots and sequences.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
[S]hould you see The Intruder? Yes -- but only if you're willing to ignore bothersome concerns about narrative and let the poetic images take over your mind.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Characteristically impressionistic, French director Claire Denis' latest meditation is simultaneously baffling and beautiful, and definitely not for everyone.
Maria Garcia, Film Journal International
A film that's so recondite, it's barely there.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
yet another meandering piece of existentialism, signifying nothing except for what you're willing to project onto it.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's one of those films where it's best to go with its maddening elegiac but elusive flow and let whatever comes to you be enough.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Walk the line with Claire Denis's The Intruder but take slow, deep breaths afterward.
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
While it may take a few viewings to sort the details out, much about L'Intrus lingers, shimmering quietly in the memory.
Sean Axmaker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
... the emotions and wishes and fears of the human animal thrown large on the screen in primal, lush images.
, Empire Magazine
This is self-consciously intricate, but even if the storyline occasionally confuses, it's impossible not to admire Agnès Godard's glorious photography and the atmospheric soundtrack.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Using very little dialogue, [Denis] focuses on casting a lingering, physically enticing spell.
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Daily News
Visually ravishing and all-but-impenetrable.
, L.A. Weekly
Denis' film -- which may be her most intricately constructed and intensely beautiful to date -- is one that transcends words and stories, a movie to be felt rather than rationalized.
Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat
...an aesthetic mystery that requires at least two viewings to fully figure out. Luckily, the film is fun along the way.
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
... the film is surprisingly satisfying and meaningful.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "The Intruder", Louis(Michel Subor) enjoys spending his days frolicking with his dogs near the French-Swiss border while he spends his nights with a local woman. One night an intruder breaks in, but Louis kills him and quietly disposes of the body.… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "The Intruder", Louis(Michel Subor) enjoys spending his days frolicking with his dogs near the French-Swiss border while he spends his nights with a local woman. One night an intruder breaks in, but Louis kills him and quietly disposes of the body. This event along with his weakening health convince him that it is time to move on...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Directed by Claire Denis, "The Intruder" is a beautiful but opaque film. Early on, it is not even clear as to who the movie is supposed to be about, as a young border guard's family vies for attention. But the movie does eventually come into focus. Not giving any details about Louis' past mirrors the character's emotional detachment from the world around him.[/font]
Hal M

An extremely murky script and cinematography together doom this picture. As for the acting? Well, there really isn't any. The players are only occasionally glimpsed in the darkness. Some critic here who describes L'Intrus as "Impressionistic" is clueless.