Come Undone

Critics Consensus

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77%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 31

67%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 2,688
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Movie Info

The third collaboration between screenwriter Stephane Bouquet and writer/director Sebastien Lifshitz, Presque Rien is the story of a young French man coming to terms with his mother's depression, and his own homosexuality, during a summer holiday in France. Delicately handsome Mathieu (Jeremie Elkaim) has come to a seaside resort town with his sisters Annick (Marie Matheron) and Sarah (Laetitia Legrix) and his mother (Dominique Reymond), who has suffered from a crippling depression ever since her newborn baby died of cancer. One day while sunning himself on the beach with Sarah, Mathieu notices the attentions of Cedric (Stephane Rideau), a sturdy, handsome, slightly older youth. The two quickly develop an illicit romance, spending their days combing the beach and their evenings slipping off for passionate sex. Cedric, it turns out, has dropped out of school and, after a brief stint as a rent boy and a failed relationship with a boy named Pierre (Nils Ohlund), moved over one town and settled into a comfortable routine of blue-collar work. The sturdy, good-natured Cedric charms Mathieu's family, but the true nature of the youths' relationship soon becomes apparent, leading to conflict, especially with oldest sibling Annick. Mathieu's biggest problem, however, is his sense of powerlessness over his mother's illness and the death in the family. The scenes of his romance with Cedric are interspersed with scenes from two later time periods. In one setting, we witness Mathieu's recovery from a suicide attempt and subsequent refusal to accept Cedric's visits; in another, we see Mathieu return, alone, to the site of his sexual coming of age. Presque Rien received its American release under the title Come Undone; after premiering at the 2001 L.A. Outfest, a gay and lesbian film series, it received a limited art-house release. Rejane Kerdaffrec, who previously appeared in the Lifschitz/Bouquet film Les Corps Ouverts, appears in a small role as Mathieu's psychiatrist.

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Cast

Jérémie Elkaïm
as Mathieu
Stephane Rideau
as Cedric
Dominique Reymond
as Mother
Marie Matheron
as Annick
Laetitia Legrix
as Sarah
Nils Ohlund
as Pierre
Rejane Kerdaffrec
as Psychiatrist
Guy Houssier
as Cedric's Father
Violeta Ferrer
as Pierre's Mother
Robert Darmel
as Bar Owner
Marie-Claire Durand
as Nurse
Charline Levaque
as Nurse
Sarah Reyjasse
as Waffle Seller
Gildas Chotard
as Club Bouncer
Eric Savin
as Annick's Friend
Maxence Rabret
as Boy on the Beach
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Critic Reviews for Come Undone

All Critics (31) | Top Critics (11)

  • Come Undone is the coming-of-age romance French-style, with emotions nuanced, effects subtle. But it's also achingly slow, at times bleak and, in the end, frustratingly and regrettably, rather pointless.

    Nov 30, 2001 | Rating: 2/4

    Loren King

    Boston Globe
    Top Critic

  • While Come Undone has some explicit material, what makes it a mature and special work is its embrace of the knotty and unfamiliar.

    Nov 1, 2001 | Full Review…

    Patrick Z. McGavin

    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic

  • A highly credible, if rather unexceptional, look at the many insecurities and occasional joys of young love.

    Oct 29, 2001 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Michael Thomson

    BBC.com
    Top Critic

  • Those who like to explore movies will find plenty to admire.

    Oct 11, 2001

    Charles Ealy

    Dallas Morning News
    Top Critic

  • Although Come Undone deals with serious, difficult subjects ... it handles them kindly and with little angst.

    Sep 21, 2001 | Full Review…

    Moira MacDonald

    Seattle Times
    Top Critic

  • A delicately managed piece that is by turns intimately detailed and elliptical.

    Sep 6, 2001 | Rating: 3/4

    Desmond Ryan

    Philadelphia Inquirer
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (31)

Audience Reviews for Come Undone

  • Nov 06, 2014
    Presque Rien relies heavily on the talent from the leading actors to unfold this tale of romance and pain. I really did not like the jump cuts which changed the narrative from the past to the present, seemed very inconsistent but otherwise it's a great film that many will enjoy.
    Sylvester K Super Reviewer
  • Apr 01, 2012
    The actors seem very natural together, depicting well the intensity and wonders of first love, but the movie has a big problem in its fragmented narrative, which jumps randomly between two moments in time and so the story becomes less fluid and not very easy to relate to.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
  • May 15, 2009
    I can appreciate the story that it trys to tell - a young man trying to come to terms with his sexuality (and all that it entails). The cast was exceptional. And the potential is there for a very moving and powerful film. However, with the exception of one fairly graphic sex scene (which was more gratuitous then story strengthening)...I feel that the film is (ultimately) too subtle for it's own good.
    Robert C Super Reviewer
  • Jun 06, 2006
    [font=Century Gothic]"Come Undone" starts out with Mathieu(Jeremie Elkaim) leaving a city on a train...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]...then it flashes back to a summer vacation at the beach where 18-year old Mathieu is staying with his sister, Sarah(Laeitia Legrix), and their invalid mother(Dominique Raymond) who is being cared for by Annick(Marie Matheron). One day at the beach, Mathieu meets Cedric(Stephane Rideau), a good looking local man about the same age. Mutual attraction between the two men quickly blossoms into love...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]...in between the two time frames, Mathieu has just been admitted to a hospital for undisclosed reasons.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Come Undone" has an interesting structure but it is only used to disguise the lackadaisical pacing of the main story line. Still, the film is a worthwhile tale of a young man coming of age and experiencing his first love.[/font]
    Walter M Super Reviewer
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