Ghost river

Director Olivier Dahan returns to the childhood theme which he earlier explored in Le Petit poucet (2001) and Freres: La roulette rouge (1994). This time, the main characters are adults, but the psychological presence of childhood is apparent in the way their lives evolve. At the centre of the story stands Sylvia, a prostitute living in Nice, whose relationship to her daughter Laurence is dismal. One day Laurence comes to Sylvia's aid when two men attack her. They flee together, and against Sylvia's will, are forced to get to know each other. The mother-daughter relationship, where unfulfilled promises and unspoken sentiments cast shadows on their feelings, is Dahan's focus. The intricate structure of the characters' battling emotions is hidden beneath the film's very linear form. But the acting exposes the complexity in all its different angles. Isabelle Huppert's portrait of Sylvia expresses all the anguish and depression that is the consequence of having to keep her life secret from the people closest to her. And young Maud Forget is equally formidable in manifesting the feelings of the loss of a mother. The childhood theme reverberates as Sylvia comes to terms with her daughter's existence. As often, the memories are dark and deep. JOHAN LINDQVIST

Premiärstatus
Nordisk premiär: Medverkande
Isabelle Huppert,Maud Forget,Pascal Greggory: Producent
Eric Neve: Manus
Agnes Fustier-Dahan: Talat språk
French