Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Birth of obsession is difficult to trace. You may touch
someone's life profoundly, yet not remember them at all.
Some events which hold import for others may be but a
footnote in your history. The classic reunion story
has someone holding some great love or grudge for
another who doesn't even remember their name.

School memories fuel Harry. His chance encounters with
old mates spark great passion in him. Played chillingly
well by Sergi Lopez, Harry is a little off. His recol-
lections seem a little too detailed to those he swaps
stories with.

Harry happens upon Michel, given complexity by Laurent
Lucas, in a gas station bathroom. Michel is on holiday
with his wife Claire (Mathilde Seigner) and 3 young
girls. Harry and his fiance Plum (Sophie Guillemin)
tag along with Michel's family to their remote country
fixer-upper.

On the way to the vacation home is a not to be missed
car scene. It will have all parents wishing for finger-
nails on chalkboards to interrupt the tension. A hot
car, 2 cranky girls and one babe incessantly crying
underline the parents' problems.

Claire and Michel are stressed parents. Their girls
are young and relentless in their needs. The family has
financial difficulties and also some interference from
Michel's parents. Adding to the pressure is the anger
Harry feels about Michel's decision to toss aside his
writing career for marriage and a family. Harry sets
out to remove obstacles from what he perceives to be
Michel's brilliant literary efforts.

Meanwhile, the charming Plum manages to keep Harry
calm and enchant the 3 girls. She obviously hears
her clock and longs for a country home complete with
children and hubby. Somehow, Harry doesn't seem the
type. But on the positive side, he is rich and desires
to help his friends solve their problems.

Claire smells trouble and not just from her interfering
in-laws (who incidentally have the worst bathroom
decorating taste in history). Wanting Harry to butt
out, Claire is less than hospitable. Circumstances
conspire to keep Harry around as the summering young
family needs help time and again. Mathilde Seigner
manages to give Claire the right amount of irritation
and exhaustion for someone beholden to 3 young
charges.

Obsessions rarely turn out well, no matter what perfume
ads would have us believe. This movie takes some
twisting roads toward a climactic ending that has you
wondering why you're so tense. This movie has few
characters, few scene changes and even less action.
But mentally, you're always in it.

Laughter plays a role in this movie. All great suspense
shows break the tension with humor at times, allowing
the audience to gather their breath. For me, Harry's
rendition of Michel's school poem not only showed the
emergence of Harry's love of Michel, it also gave us a
good laugh. Did Harry, or "Dick" as Plum called him,
love Michel in a homosexual way? Why was this clearly
Freudian poem so important to him? View the movie and
let me know what you think.

Directed by Dominik Moll, this film deserves a wide release.
Right now, it's on few US screens, presumably because
it's acted in French and subtitled. My husband, who
doesn't care for subtitled movies, enjoyed this. Even
with my French so far behind me, I was almost able to
do without the subtitles. Like any good suspense movie,
the camera shots and music almost tell the story. The
dialogue is gravy.

After penning my review, I read one by j_christley
which I consider to have a superior analysis to my
own. If you're thinking about seeing this movie or
have seen it and still have it on your mind, please
check out j_christley's review of Harry.

Note: I originally couldn't find the "in theater
category for this movie so I put the original review
under VHS format. Now that I've found the correct
category, I removed the original and am reposting
here. As Douglas Adams says,
"Sorry for the inconvenience!



Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older

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