Tell no one

Last Saturday afternoon, I spent nearly four hours in one of the viewing rooms in Esplanade to watch two French films: 8 Femmes, and, Tell No One, both are available only for in-house restricted viewing.

It became pretty 'clear' less than half way through why 8 Femmes is on restricted viewing. The culprit is not violence or nudity, but the lack of sense of morality in all characters, and I can see the censors here finding it contradicting severely with the 'shared traditional values' purportedly upheld by the Singapore society. Honestly, it is a film I would not recommend to anyone, unless, like me, they are avid for any things from the stars.

I am never into musical, and I found it horrifying in particular when the 8 femmes, old or young, take turns to spring into a sing and dance routine whenever they delve into their inner selves. The singing episodes interrupt the overall narrative, and also crash with the overall mood of the backdrop of the film - that of the murder of the only patriach figure. Although the victim was revealed at the end as a monstor, and therefore not worthy of any sympathy, it does not 'justify' the singing and dancing acts put on by all characters.

What surprises me most is how come a film of such a bad script and bad taste could attract some of the best actresses in French cinema.

***

I have been looking for Tell No One ever since I was bewitched by a Guillanme Canet in Hunting and Gathering. It is unexplicable because his earlier Love Me if You Dare never made any impression on me. Tell No One is thrilling indeed but the show is stealt by the minor character Bruno, the gangster who rescued the hero when he was on the run from police. I still prefer Hunting and Gathering for its casual charm, and the chemistry between Audrey and Canet.