Don't Look Back - Schatten der Vergangenheit

" Don't look back ", a good psychological drama with elements of horror,but I am surprised that it's the low rating on IMDb. Film is very good and interesting.

Wow!!! This was actually pretty entertaining. I love the way they change the language to French to Italian. Love Monica Belluci she is just to beautiful to see in person as well in film. The suspense and story were very interesting and that what kept me into it. The story develops so beautifully done and it just keeps you until the end of the seat, these foreign films don't mind going over the top in showing us what we the viewers want to see, and men they do deliver what we want to see, packed with a great story, great acting and just a beautiful done twist at the end, I give " Don't Look Back" a 7 out of 10 Stars.

"Ne te retourne pas" was a quite of surprise to me. Psychological drama, with touch of a "Twilight Zone"-type fantasy, moved me in strange directions, and paths the movie so meticulously followed throughout it's course. The story of a parallel reality between the past and the present, told in a narrative style that resembles a dream, focuses the viewer on constant change of pace with twists and turns until the answer is found. Main roles beautifully portrayed by Sophie Marceau and Monica Belluci, two of the most exquisitely beautiful actresses of this day and age, are right on the spot of the story and we follow the plot to satisfying conclusion that gives a perfect explanation to it all. Of course this movie does not appeal to Avatar audiences that expect movies which don't provoke thinking.

This is a first film by Marina de Van that I had a chance to watch, and this young lady is in my humble opinion the future of French and world cinema. Such neatly constructed, no nonsense, cerebral film, which gels as a meticulously structured mosaic is hard to come by these days. Watching it is a fulfilling pleasure. Fantastic!

Many angles are possible to represent personality disorders. Delivering an exciting movie with this subject is a challenge which I believe writer/director Marina de Van succeeded with beautifully. The tension and attention span gradually increase as does the spectator disorientation with subtly changing details to full decors. The physical changes are superbly rendered and here again the spectator starts to loose his/her reference points. In other words, we are inside Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci and move with her/them to try and understand. Both actresses perform splendidly and beyond feeling for their life's search, one leaves the movie with a strong bond for both personalities. In summary, I liked the movie for the storyline, the subtle crescendo along the time line, the actresses performance and the total attention span to try and understand (if I had been part of their life, I would have tried to help, but probably to no avail). I am a little sad for the low rating (6 at the time of this review).

Jeanne (Sophie Marceau) is an author with her latest failing attempt. However things start to change around her. She notices changes in her family, her home, and eventually even herself. She wonders if she's losing her sanity as the new Jeanne gets played by Monica Bellucci.

It's an interesting concept taking a page out of David Lynch's playbook such as 'Lost Highway'. It has potential, and possesses some intriguing qualities at first. Sophie Marceau's manic mental disintegration holds some fascination.

However the facial morphing and the weird after effects distracts from the acting. It is a constant confusion of whether or who in the family has changed. In many way, it falls prey to the same problem that David Lynch had. It feels very gimmicky.