L'Enfer ("Hell"), 2005, France, Director: Danis Tanovic, 2005
Screenplay: Krzysztof Piesiewicz - Based on an idea by Krzysztof Kieslowski (Trois Couleurs), Krzysztof Piesiewicz. Playing the sisters: Emmanuelle Béart (Sophie), Karin Viard (Celine), Marie Gillain (Anne) with Jean Rochefort in guest role. Trivia: Emmanuelle Beart acted in a 1994 film also called l'Enfer (no relation to this 2005 version). Most famous role: Manon des Sources in 1986.


I think I saw this way back on Wednesday 26 July!! Only just finishing post - better late than never as they say. Didn't know much about this beforehand except that it was based on idea by the Three Colours Trilogy cineaste, Krzysztof Kieslowski. Afterwards learnt that l'Enfer is actually part two of another trilogy - the first instalment was called Heaven and starred Cate Blanchette and Giovanni Ribisi.

During the opening credits a background scene plays - 3 eggs; one baby bird hatches and pushes another egg out. While trying to get rid of the next egg the first bird (the "pusher") accidentally goes over side. A man spots the baby bird on the ground and puts it back in the nest. The bird immediately continues on with the job and the last egg splatters on the ground.

THEMES
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001095972

Danis Tanovic's ... second feature, "L'Enfer" ("Hell"), draws upon Greek mythology, Euripides' "Medea" and the interplay of destiny and coincidence.
... musings on fate vs. coincidence, tragedy vs. drama.


Key scenes in the film that relate are: 1) the professor's speech about fate & coincidence, and; 2) the youngest daughter's interview before the university board - she picks Medea as her topic and proceeds to deliver a monologue about Medea killing her own children in retaliation against their father for transgressions against her. The daughter's thesis is comparing the format used to perform Greek tragedies vs. those acted out in life today - alludes to (modern) human tendency to create our own personal life dramas via subconscious choices and to repeat scenarios "learnt" from our past experiences.

Do we accept responsibility for our life choices and believe that we possess some measure of control or do we surrender to an invisible "fate" or "destiny"?

Wikipedia definition of tragedy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_tragedy

...throughout much of Western thought, tragedy has been defined in more precise terms, following the precepts set out by Aristotle and based upon Greek tragedies: it is a form of drama characterized by seriousness and dignity, usually involving a conflict between a character and some higher power, such as the law, the gods, fate, or society."
...
"Greek literature boasts three great writers of tragedy whose works are extant: Sophocles, Euripides and Aeschylus.


One of Euripides greatest plays is "Medea" based on the myth of Jason and Medea, which is referenced later in the film.

During the course of the film there are flashbacks to specific past events from the family's history that relate to the above themes; sacrifice of children to gain love, passion and vengeance (woman against man). The 3 daughters all seem to be struggling with their personal relationships in different ways and this appears to relate to the violent breakup of their parents marriage years ago.

The sisters noticeably do not interact onscreen until toward the end and even though the sisters live separate lives and rarely see each other they each share a common event with another family member.

Parallel scenes are shown to emphasis the intergenerational connection between the siblings, their parents and offspring ... and also to show the continuous cycle of dysfunctionality or is it mere coincidence that certain events seem to reoccur?

Examples of this phenomenon are:
1. Sophie (played by Beart) repeats her mother's past action - adulterous husband shut out of home, kids witness violence in background.
2. Sophie's husband is rejected by his new lover when she finds out he has kids, makes reference to the same thing happening to her as a child.
3. Celine repeats scene between naked boy in her father's office (which kicked off the chain of events back when Celine was a child that led to the family breakup) - they each strip and offer themselves to the bemusement of the object of their affection.
4. Anne (youngest daughter) - commits adultery & is fixated on an older man, betraying a close friend in the process.

Toward the end of the film the 3 daughters visit their mute & wheelchair bound mother in a home. The youngest daughter (the university student) makes a comment about her mother "killing" her daughters in reference to the Medea myth. The women want to tell their mother about the new facts that have come to light which absolve their disgraced father (now deceased). When the mother hears the story explaining how their father was wrongfully accused she writes "je ne regrette rien." FIN.

Wasn't sure I "got" this one or even really enjoyed it when leaving the cinema - it definitely left me feeling strange and unsettled. It's quite a complex screenplay and I think maybe the central themes had gone a little over head. It wasnt until later and after a little internet research that I came to appreciate the story more. In terms of direction / cinematography - I wasn't moved like I was with the 3 Colours Trilogy, but I'd be interested to see the other two films in this new trilogy.