un secret

pronounced une sea-cray - beautiful french phrasing
and not some twist of the english language for a e.g. a non secret
which was a bit of a relief really as i had it pegged as a hollywood film
but it's another one from france and about as french as it gets
according to margaret and david this one failed to get into cannes and vienna
but scooped the pool at the nearly as famous montreal film festival
unusually as it seems lately they both loved it and gave 4 stars
so tonight on opening night i shared a theatre with 20 or so others (huh?)
the opening scenes are very reminiscent of swimming pool (the film)
showing a very fragile looking boy in a beautiful pool setting in 1955
watching his beautiful mother tania (cecile de france) swimming and diving
he is the son of her second husband maxime (patrick bruel) who has a (the) secret
the son sees a ghost of a brother and suffers nightmares
his athletic father is openly disappointed with his son
though fast-forward to 1985 and a reconciliation occurs
the son played in later life by mathieu amalric
last seen as the star of the diving bell and the butterfly
then it's back to 1935 so we can be let in on the secret
there's a jewish wedding underway in paris
this is maxime's first wedding to hannah where his eye falls on tania
hinting at a sordid affair or some other kind of tête-à-tête
but first there is the serious business of world war 2 at hand
tania innocently comes and goes in the life of maxime and hannah
and the perception of hannah detects the yearning of her husband
maxime is a non-practicing jew and baulks at yiddish tradition
even having his first born son secretly yet overtly baptised
he also believes france is tolerant and not in hitler's plans
but of course the weight of history is against him
he agrees to escape to unoccupied france to set up a new life
then eventually sends word for his wife and son to join him
and casually mentions that tania has also innocently shown up
his wife and son never make it - the reason being the big secret
which then has a ripple effect down through following generations
this film is another beautifully crafted piece of french cinema
superb acting, beautiful costumes, and stunning scenery
a story that hangs at times by a thread as the film goes on
which is something i find the french can do so well
have such confidence in the mood and ambience of the film
that the thing most resembling a plot lurks around in the background
then is gently brought forward usually in the most moving way
in this case in the scene where maxime and tania finally submit
both being free of past true loves and ready to love again
fast forward again to 1955 and then 1985 and it all makes sense
we are now armed with the knowledge of what the secret is
and now able to fully understand it's long-term effect
another charming french film
un success