Among the 15 remarkable films recently shown in this annual prestigious festival at New York's Walter Reade Theater and IFC Center, two particularly moving and, I believe, important films are Claude Miller's A Secret (to be released nationally shortly) and Sandrine Bonnaire's My Name Is Sabine (released by The Film Movement; the DVD is out now).
A Secret, based on Philippe Grimbert's novel of the same name, and adapted for the screen by Claude Miller and Natalie Carter, refers to a dark family secret. The character- driven story, based on an actual Jewish family, is told against the backdrop of the coming Nazi Holocaust.
On his very wedding day, Maxime (boldly portrayed by Patrick Bruel), who has just married the delicate Hannah (Ludivine Sagnier), meets for the first time the glamorous Tania (Cecile de France), who is married to his brother-in-law. Maxime, a lover of athletics, is immediately smitten with Tania, a svelte swimming champion and model for a Parisian couturier house—all the things that wife Hannah can never be.
Maxime's attraction remains hidden—he thinks. Maxime and Hannah have a son, Simon, who is all the things that Maxime could want: Simon is bright, lovable, and gifted at sports.
Then the Nazi terror strikes. The family must flee for their lives. Hannah, who has always sensed Maxime's attraction to Tania, makes a terrible decision which wrenches their lives asunder.
Years later, after the war, through the tragic turn of events, Maxime and Tania are able to marry – and they create a new family. But their son, Francois, intuitively guesses the family harbors a secret, and a neighbor does indeed divulge the truth to him. As an adult, Francois (played sensitively by Mathieu Amalric, of "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"), having had to conquer his own demons, becomes a child psychologist. But it appears that the guilt-ridden Maxime may never conquer his.
From a photographic point of view the film is masterful. Cinematographer Gerard de Battista has utilized both color and black-and-white to illustrate flashbacks or present events. The sections that feature swimming and diving are beyond realistic—they are poetic.
All elements of the film are superbly realized. A Secret, already a major box-office success in France, and co-winner of the Best Film award at the 2007 World Film Festival, is to be watched for when it hits U.S. screens.
Her Name Is Sabine is noted French film star Sandrine Bonnaire's first directing attempt. Bonnaire, acclaimed for her wonderful performances in Agnes Varda's Vagabond, Pialat's Under Satan's Sun, and Chabrol's La Ceremonie, has focused on the story of her own sister, Sabine, who, only five years ago, was diagnosed with autism.
Sabine, now 38, and presently living in an adult care facility in France, has been photographed at various stages in her life, beginning as an attractive young woman, with a few developmental problems. However, because she was not properly diagnosed she unfortunately spent five of her adult years in a hospital. The deterioration evidenced in her condition is heartbreaking.
Also evident is Bonnaire's obvious affection and concern for her sister. It is clear that Sandrine Bonnaire has made possible Sabine's present pleasant environment. In fact, Bonnaire said in an interview that only because of her own influence as a celebrity, was she able to find a good living situation for her sister. But hopefully, more good will come out of Bonnaire's efforts: The appearance of the film has influenced French government officials to take seriously the need for proper diagnosis of autism, and hopefully to establish more suitable facilities for those striken with this tragic disease.
Diana Barth writes and publishes New Millennium, an arts newsletter.
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