Reviewed by Doug Cooper
Stars Isabelle Huppert, Gaspard Ulliel, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Randal Douc, Vanthon Duong, Stephane Rideau, Lucy Harrison, Doeun Thenn Nan, Chorn Solyda, Ingrid Mareski, Louis Arsac
Written by Michel Fessler & Rithy Panh
Certification UK 15 | Australia M
Runtime 115 minutes
Directed by Rithy Panh
Set in Cambodia in 1931, this mediocre French drama, adapted from Marguerite Duras's first novel, stars Huppert as a single mother experiencing severe financial problems regarding the upkeep of her farm. Her teenage children are rebelling against her while she becomes progressively ill with consumption.
One possible avenue of money however is presented by the son (Douc) of a rich Vietnamese businessman who becomes infatuated with Huppert's pretty 16-year-old daughter (Berges-Frisbey). If she marries him their financial difficulties will be nullified, but she is stubborn and headstrong in undergoing adolescence and resistant to the man's charms. Meanwhile, Huppert's 19-year-old son (Ulliel) is having an affair with a married woman, when not angrily defending himself against the encroaching influence of the French bureaucrats who want to seize control of their land. The local peasants offer little opposition to them and violence is soon to raise its ugly head.
It's an interesting backdrop with convincing performances by all. Huppert is convincingly ravaged, Bergeres-Frisbey very good at projecting the turbulent burgeoning sexuality her character develops and Ulliel a believable hothead striving to break free of his surroundings. But overall the narrative lacks drive, ending up meandering and overlong, never the powerhouse it could have been. Worthy but dull.
• Official Site
• The Sea Wall at IMDb