Picturenose

Derivative dead ringer

Despite inventing the word ‘macabre’, the French rarely venture into the genre from a cinematic perspective; historically, however, when they have, the results have been sometimes sensational - think Henri-Georges Clouzot ’s Les Diaboliques (1955) and Georges Franju’s Les Yeux Sans Visage (1960).

So, is La Chambre des Morts, adapted and directed by Alfred Lot, a cause for celebration? Well, it’s Lot’s first time proper in the director’s seat (previously, he’s worn the producer and assistant director’s hat for films as disparate as Le Transporteur (2002) and Kiss of the Dragon (2001)) and, while he brings a good deal of visual flair to this moody horror-thriller, it’s clear from where much of his inspiration is derived - as an obvious starting point, think Silence of the Lambs (1992).

Two unemployed computer technicians, Sylvain and Vigo, (Gilles Lellouche and Jonathan Zaccaï) stumble upon €2 million when they accidentally kill a man at dead of night while on a joy-ride. The money, they discover, was intended to pay the ransom for a kidnapped young blind girl who has been found dead - Mélanie Laurent takes on the ‘Clarice Starling’ mantle with a winningly vulnerable but determined turn as young detective Lucie Hennebelle on her first case, who’s brought in to assist when another child, who’s diabetic, is subsequently kidnapped. Sylvain and Vigo are coming dangerously close to breaking point, and the clock is ticking…

Franck Thilliez’s original novel has a central core of darkness that the film accentuates - the kidnappers’ motivations are ugly in the extreme and the tension is well maintained. However, it is very derivative - the experience is frequently reminiscent of a cinematic cut-and-paste job, with Lot referencing not only …Lambs and …Visage, but also throwing in more than a few nods to David Fincher’s Se7en (1995).

Still, the director’s competence is obvious - it is to be hoped that he continues with the dark fantasy genre (as there are still precious few intelligent examples of the form being made), and meanwhile develops a few more original ideas of his own.

French language. 115 mins.