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In the
Name of my Daughter is based on the story of a young woman’s disappearance
in France, as written by her mother and brother in a memoir about ten years
after she had gone missing. André Téchiné, the French director (and co-writer of the
screenplay with Cedric Anger, and the brother, Jean-Charles Le Roux) reports
that he wanted the film to adhere as closely as possible to the memoir, but
with more emphasis on the relationships between the three protagonists: the mother, Renée LeRoux (Deneuve), her
daughter Agnés (Haenel), and Agnés’ lover, Maurice Agnelet (Canet).
Early on, it is clear that the mother daughter
relationship is strained, complicated by Maurice, who is initially the mother’s
attorney for the casino business she owns; but he begins to side with the
daughter who is trying to get her mother to release her inheritance from her
father. Maurice is already
suspicious because he seems to be working a scheme not in Renée’s best interest; and when she elects not to hire
him to manage the casino, he turns his attention to Agnés. He is
charming and attractive, and even though she has been duly warned about
him—including by himself—she willingly enters into an intimate relationship
with him, probably, in part, to spite her mother.
In gradual stages, the lives of all three take
a tragic turn. There are two
trials that take place years apart, and we get postscripts about the final
outcome.
I kept thinking this film should be more
engrossing than I was experiencing.
After thinking about it and seeing the conclusion, I decided that most
of the story is too predictable.
Based on the dialog and the behavior of the characters, what is about to
transpire will not be surprising.
We’re given a clue early on when Agnés makes a remark about Maurice’s name (Agnelet, meaning ‘lamb’), and the
viewer immediately thinks about a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The plot actually
becomes more interesting in the last half hour during the court proceedings,
which Téchiné elected to skip over in favor of the
emotional/relational details. But
it is the court proceedings that are so much more suspenseful, and I would have
liked to hear more about the juries’ deliberations and get a better sense of
why they ruled the way they did.
Deneuve brings her considerable talent and
experience to the character of Rénée—slightly cool with others, unskilled in persuasion,
and much more comfortable giving instructions. Haenel plays the role well of a daughter still rather
immature, overly needy for warmth and affection, and burning inside about her
mother’s authority over her. They
have had control struggles dating back even before the time her mother insisted
she take ballet and perform for guests when she clearly didn’t want to. Enter a devious, insecure man without
scruples who is vindictive when he is slighted. Canet is masterful in playing a handsome Maurice who has no
compunction about lying and manipulating to get what he wants. He can be as genteel as it takes so
long as things are going his way, but if he encounters obstruction or
constraint, he has no problem being abusive.
In the
Name of my Daughter is beautifully filmed and shows the south of France at
its best. The problem is in the
script that gives away too much too soon.
In addition, it needed to show more about the trials toward the
end. It’s too bad that a story that
holds so much promise turns out to be something of a disappointment.
Not exactly a potboiler.
Grade: C- By Donna
R. Copeland
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