In the House (2012) Fabrice Luchini, Ernst Umhauer, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emmanuelle Seigner, Denis M?nochet, Bastien Ughetto, Jean-Fran?ois Balmer Movie Review

In the House (2012)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Fabrice Luchini in In the House (2012)

More Intriguing than Fiction

When he became a teacher Mr. Germain (Fabrice Luchini) felt a passion for it, he wanted the children he taught to also feel passion especially for literature but as the years have past his enthusiasm has been dulled by the less than enthusiastic minds of the children he faces day in day out. That all changes when one student, Claude Garcia (Ernst Umhauer), hands in a piece of work which not only shows he has talent but also unsettles Mr. Germain due to its voyeuristic nature as it is about another student and his family. It leads to Mr. Germain finding his passion once again and trying to guide Claude into becoming a better writer but with each piece he hands in the deeper they get in to a situation with major consequences.

"In the House" starts on a pretty even keel, we watch as Mr. Germain is both fascinated by the writing of young Claude but a little concerned due to it almost stalker like nature when it comes to another boy in class, the home he lives in and his parents. But as the story progresses and we watch Mr. Germain try to nurture Claude's skills as a writer things start to get murky as we get to see everything which Claude writes but when Mr. Germain doesn't like something such as a homoerotic kiss we then get to see an alternative version. As such we start to question whether this story of voyeurism is based on what Claude does or is purely fantasy driven more by either his desires or a desire to please Mr. Germain. And it works because between the events in Claude's story and how Mr. Germain changes and becomes involved it is genuinely entertaining and intriguing.

Ernst Umhauer in In the House (2012)

Now whilst "In the House" features the talents of Kristin Scott Thomas and Emmanuelle Seigner, this movie is all about Fabrice Luchini and Ernst Umhauer. Ernst Umhauer as young Claude gives us everything you expect from a smart teen who of course has certain sexual thoughts but he also makes us wonder whether in fact he is a master manipulator as he seems to be controlling Mr. Germain through his writing and through their friendship. Then there is Luchini who takes us on a real journey as Mr. Germain as he goes from despondent to being complicit in Claude's voyeuristic writing to... well I will let you find out for yourself.

What this all boils down to is that "In the House" is a wonderful engaging and entertaining drama which makes you dance the line of wondering whether what we see is fact or fiction. And for those who don't do foreign movies this one is incredibly easy to follow with the subtitles ending up more of a guide for what you watch as the imagery tells the story beautifully.


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