The Witnesses (Les Temoins) (2007)

86% of critics liked it
(50 reviews)
64% of users liked it
(1,971 ratings)

The early days of the AIDS crisis in France provides the backdrop for this powerful, life-affirming drama from writer and director André Téchiné. It's 1984, and Mehdi (Sami Bouajila) is a police detective who, unbeknownst to his wife Sarah (Emmanuelle Béart), is a bisexual who has occasional trysts… More The early days of the AIDS crisis in France provides the backdrop for this powerful, life-affirming drama from writer and director André Téchiné. It's 1984, and Mehdi (Sami Bouajila) is a police detective who, unbeknownst to his wife Sarah (Emmanuelle Béart), is a bisexual who has occasional trysts with men. Mehdi and Sarah are proud parents of a new baby, but to Mehdi's chagrin, Sarah doesn't seem the least bit concerned about her responsibilities as a mom. Manu (Johan Libereau) is a handsome young man who shares a flat with his sister Julie (Julie Depardieu), who is struggling to make a career as an opera singer. And Adrien (Michel Blanc) is a middle-aged doctor and close friend of Sarah who occasionally picks up younger men in the park, and nearly seduces Manu one evening. Adrien joins Sarah and Mehdi for an idyllic weekend at the beach, where Manu once again crosses his path; however, Manu also meets Mehdi when he saves the detective from drowning, and the two soon become lovers. Several months later, Manu has discovered he's contracted a strange and deadly new disease doctors are calling AIDS, which has a dramatic impact on many of the people he knows. Mehdi has confessed his infidelity to Sarah, and they wait to find out if they also have AIDS, while Adrien is devoting most of his days to treating Manu and other young men who are wasting away under the effects of the illness, and Julie helps to care for her dying brother. The Witnesses (aka Les Témoins) received its premiere at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 54 min.
Directed By: Andre Techine
Written By: Andre Techine, Laurent Guyot, Viviane Zingg
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Jun 14, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Jun 24, 2008
Studio: Strand Releasing

Critic Reviews

David Edelstein, New York Magazine
Excitingly convoluted.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
Techine's graceful, forceful drama has the tact not to play narrative games with its subject.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
André Téchiné's film features a strong ensemble cast. The film pulls no punches in its depiction of lives in crisis.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The Witnesses doesn't pay off with a great operatic pinnacle, but it's better that way. Better to show people we care about facing facts they care desperately about, without the consolation of plot mechanics.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Director Andre Techine's story is one of subtle emotional tones that require the most of an actor, and the cast is uniformly compelling.
John Anderson, Washington Post
In The Witnesses, [director] Techine levels his gaze on the '80s, an era of seeming innocence, perhaps license, and one in which biological freedom has led to a loose, even sloppily knit fabric of humanity.
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
The Witnesses has an emotional maturity that adds richness to its social observation.
Nora Lee Mandel, Film-Forward.com
Best when it turns from bed-hopping into a docudrama, but its effort to personalize the AIDS crisis is not emotionally convincing as the characters lose their individuality.
Dan Callahan, Slant Magazine
Téchiné films Johan Libéreau, who plays Manu, the fresh-faced young boy coming of age in The Witnesses, with the sort of discretion that gives mystery and dignity to human beauty.
Jonathan W. Hickman, Entertainment Insiders
A somber look back, and for Americans, a view from somewhere else of a time that might have been just recently forgotten.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Lots of gab, a little flesh flashing, more gab, and not much action or momentum. French Kissing, Brokeback Mountain style.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Lots of gab, a little flesh flashing, more gab, and not much action or momentum. French Kissing, Brokeback Mountain style.
Austin Kennedy, Sin Magazine
The first 80 minutes or so are really good, but then the movie goes on for about a half hour longer than it needs to.
Richard Knight, Windy City Times
A welcome addition to a legion of AIDS related movies and the French perspective, so different from our own, never fails to intrigue
Adam Fendelman, HollywoodChicago.com
As in real life, often the main crisis morphs into a continuance that has no slam-bang conclusion. Rather, we just see a small hope that awakes to experience another sunrise.
Josh Bell, Las Vegas Weekly
A rambling but often affecting account of the early days of the AIDS epidemic.
Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
Unyieldingly pleasant and way too fussy for its own good... so sunny and polite it makes Rent look like Cruising.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Poignant, sensitive drama with well developed characters realistically played by the cast.
Gordon A

Functional but well performed recollection of the AIDS epidemic and its fallout amongst a group of unlikable bourgeoisie.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "The Witnesses," it is 1984 and Sarah(Emmanuelle Beart), a children's writer, is married to Mehdi(Sami Bouajila), a macho and ambitious vice cop. Not being able to concentrate with her baby crying all the time, Sarah persuades her husband to… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "The Witnesses," it is 1984 and Sarah(Emmanuelle Beart), a children's writer, is married to Mehdi(Sami Bouajila), a macho and ambitious vice cop. Not being able to concentrate with her baby crying all the time, Sarah persuades her husband to take some time off, so they can go to her summer house, inviting her friend and doctor, Adrien(Michel Blanc), who brings along Manu(Johan Libereau), a young man who he met while cruising in the park one night. During that weekend, Mehdi saves Manu from drowning and the two men become friends...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]It goes without saying that there has been better fiction written about the early days of the AIDS epidemic including "Longtime Companion" and the play, "Angels in America," which were made at the end of the initial crisis, signaling the beginning of the long battle ahead. Coming at least a decade after them, "The Witnesses" is an astute but slightly overlong movie that is a reminder of how far we have come since then, arguing for love and compassion in the process. But what also sets it apart, is its eroticism, not shying away from the sexual side of the equation which even the more chaste characters have no problem with.[/font]
Daniel P

An unusual but refreshingly straightforward film that sensitively shows how the beginning of the AIDS epidemic affects a group of connected friends. Beautifully filmed, the screenplay keeps things relatively pared back and serves the actors well - the power and intensity comes from… More
An unusual but refreshingly straightforward film that sensitively shows how the beginning of the AIDS epidemic affects a group of connected friends. Beautifully filmed, the screenplay keeps things relatively pared back and serves the actors well - the power and intensity comes from the terrific performances instead of artificial melodrama. An intelligent and adult film.