Thérèse Desqueyroux (2012) Reviews

• Audrey Tautou shines as the unhappy bride of the 1920s France.

  TxMike2014-05-10

  I found this movie on Netflix streaming movies. It is in French with English subtitles. I speak a bit of French, but man generic French is so quick that I could barely understand what they were saying, so the subtitles are important. I became a big Audrey Tautou fan when I saw "Amelie" the first time. Since then I have seen a total of six of her movies, she is always good, as she is here. It is set in the 1920s France, Audrey Tautou is Thérèse Larroque, in a family that owns some property laden with pine forests. This becomes a significant fact during the movie, as she gets married to a man who also owns land with pine forests and together their pine forest wealth will be great. But it also becomes a threat when, during a period of drought, a forest fire threatens their holdings. Almost as a ritual rather than a love affair Thérèse marries an older man, fine actor Gilles Lellouche as Bernard Desqueyroux. He is a nice man, reasonably handsome, loves his hunting, and sees Thérèse mostly as a way to have a family. And hopefully a son to carry on the family name. But there never was any passion in their relationship. The movie, as titled, is about Thérèse, her unhappiness and feeling trapped in the marriage. Her husband has some symptoms which require medication, and he is prescribed some sort of arsenic drops, only three a day with water. But soon Thérèse sees this as an opportunity, maybe a few more drops each day will do the trick. Of course he gets ill but recovers, her ruse is exposed and she even has to defend herself in court, with the cooperation of her husband. But their relationship, whatever there was of it, is badly damaged. Thérèse has a daughter, the baby is virtually taken away from her by family members, and seems to be growing up without even realizing Thérèse is her mother. Thérèse seems only mildly upset by that development, if at all. Seems maybe she wasn't cut out to be a wife or a mother! In the very last scene, in the city as Bernard tells her goodbye (pronouncing her name 'tezz') then we see her walking among all the people in the street, a wry smile on her face. Was she thinking, "All-in-all that worked out pretty well. Now I can start my life." An excellent character study, Tautou is great.

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• Enjoyable enough - but for one complaint...

  euroGary2013-08-08

  'Thérèse Desqueyroux' is a French drama set in the 1920s in which Audrey Tautou, as the titular Thérèse, is content to play the iconoclast in her stuffy husband's family. But when her best friend (also her sister-in-law) describes her passionate relationship with an attractive young Portuguese man, Thérèse's emotions take a more sinister turn. My one complaint about this is that as Thérèse's husband (played by Gilles Lellouche) is such a central part of the plot it's a shame he is portrayed as such a one-dimensional duffer, ignorant of his wife's feelings in the most stereotypical way, but apart from that this is quite an enjoyable production, both in terms of the plot and the idyllic coastal scenery in which much of the film is set.

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• Great psychological portrayals, but confusing

  Gordon-112013-05-13

  This film is about a blue blooded woman marrying a tycoon, but quickly finds out that marriage is not a thing she likes. The title "Thérèse Desqueyroux" doesn't give the plot away, but the Hong Kong Chinese title does. As a result, I kept guessing how the plot will turn out. Initially, we see Thérèse having a rather entangled relationship with Anne, which may or may not have played a part in her dissatisfaction in Thérèse's subsequent marriage. Then, the marriage itself is portrayed well, with the husband giving Thérèse much love that is clearly not reciprocated. However, all these supposed seeds that led to the deed did not adequately explain Thérèse's criminal action. Without a plausible motive, I was left to wonder exactly why she did such a horrible deed. Such a lack of motive may drive suspense and keep viewers on edge, but in "Thérèse Desqueyroux" it only serves to confuse. In addition, the subplot between Thérèse and Anne, and between Anne and Jean were left hanging, which was quite a pity. The amazing contrasts between the pre-deed, post-deed and liberated Thérèse could not help to lift "Thérèse Desqueyroux" to becoming a great film. I think it is a good film but it is unfortunately masked by hanging subplots and confusion.

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• Just the right combination of repressed passion and existential angst, in a beautiful setting

  paperbackboy2014-01-02

  This excellent film, like the novel, has a challengingly "modern", existential feel, with themes that bring it closer to the ideas of Camus and Sartre than many of Mauriac's other works. Thérèse isn't really sure why she acts in the way she does, but her character, thanks largely to Tautou's performance, is so complex and nuanced that, far from leading to "confusion", as another reviewer has suggested, it simply seems real. Perhaps too "real" to be hugely dramatic, but real enough to be compelling and fascinating. Gilles Lellouche plays husband Bernard to perfection, too, with just the right amount of odious materialism and hypocrisy, combined with a tinge of genuine sympathy. He genuinely can't comprehend his wife and her actions, and responds in the way that he thinks best. The movie is beautifully and atmospherically shot - the best compliment I can pay is that it looks just how I imagined it when I read the book. Plus it made me want to read the novel again, because it reminded me just how powerful and "modern" a work it is. Despite the film's length, there are no "longueurs" (boring bits), and the plot feels surprisingly tight given the lack of action. So watch this film, enjoy the "look", and be surprised and challenged by the characters and their motivations, and by just how modern Mauriac's ideas were, way back in the 1920s. Definitely recommended.

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• A beautiful looking, and somewhat compelling period drama

  joshua-303-927782013-12-29

  "Therese" is a lovely looking film. The characters are all attractive, the scenery is pristine and engaging, and the colors really pop out at you. The cinematography is near top-notch. Ultimately, this is a very dark, and rather depressing story. Although arguably a victim of circumstance, the lead character comes across as rather self-absorbed and pathetic. I'm not sure if that was the intention or not, or even if there was an intention. The story and dialogue are sufficiently sophisticated to keep the viewer's attention. Overall a solid piece of work with good performances from the cast. If you liked this review, then please check out my other reviews. I try to review the movies which not many people see.

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