To Matthieu

Do not let the Gospel reference fool you:it is not the return of Pasolini!It has nothing to do with the Holy Writ! Actually,this Beauvois work begins quite well,with a hunting scene ,followed by a meal where the conversation is probably improvised,à la Cassavetes.Then a wedding scene which is not unlike that in Chabrol's "le boucher".So it takes at least twenty minutes before the story really begins.Then it's downhill.As soon Baye's character is on the screen ,the movie has nothing in store for the audience.The movie begins and ends with very pretentious music ,that shows a tendency to make the viewer feel he's going to watch (or has been watching) an "important " "meaningful" "deep" work.The worst of it is ,one suspects that Beauvois actually believes he's made a genuine sleeper,and does not know,has no idea at all that it's the bland and hackneyed bourgeois/blue collar love affair it actually seems to me. Mind you,Xavier,Luke ,John ,and Mark are up for grabs.

This movie consists of an amazing story and good story-telling and good photography. It is basically the main character's feeling of revenge which is very moving - I think many at least once in their life had emotions like the working class son in Selon Mathieu. This feeling of being weak against a superior power - and as a result the desire to revolt against it. After I have seen this movie I kept asking myself whether revenge could ever heal a broken heart or whether the suffering only just starts when you are looking for revenge. The actor of Mathieu is great - I liked his way of expressing without words. 8/10