Kalinka

Actually it's a real story of life.As am writing this review so much considered what am going to write here.It was my first movie experience in the theater with out my family, I was bit panic too.When the story starts on the silver screen really i lost some where with the movie.No much words about this great movie! it was a real story experience in my entire life!

Just watch this movie, for the real story, for the cast, for everything. The persistence of a man in seek of justice where the system, most of the times, fails. Outstanding performance of Auteuil, one of the best actors in Europe. Also my thumbs up for Koch.

This is a story based on real events and it revolves around a gruesome case of a teenager in Germany by her step-father who is a renowned physician. Daniel Auteil is excellent in his performance as the girl's biological father, André Bamberski who begins a crusade in order to find the truth about his daughter's rape and murder. His quest for vindication covers a time-span of almost thirty years, from 1974 till 2009 and it takes place to both France and Germany. Sebastian Koch is equally splendid in the role of the shady doctor who takes advantage of his patients' trust and steals André's wife.

I found the movie to be quite distressing as the audience knows that it is -partly- true and its relatively short running time (almost 80 minutes in total) makes it a viewing experience that at no time becomes tedious or uninteresting. The director, Vincent Garenq, has great thriller movies such as "Présumé coupable" and "L'enquête" in his filmography. This movie is on the borderline between two genres, crime fiction, and true crime. To sum up, "Au Nom de ma Fille" is a rewarding artistic experience, very well-shot with some really great acting. Not to miss!

"In Her Name" ("Au nom de ma fille") is a very difficult film to watch. It's about a child who was raped and murdered. Amazingly, the German legal system seemed to do its best to prevent a thorough investigation and prosecution of the perpetrator...and ultimately the father of the dead girl felt compelled to take justice into his own hands. Worse yet...it's a true story. So, think about this before you decide to watch the film...it's a tough film to watch even though the filmmakers were exceptional in presenting the story well and without showing or sensationalizing the sexual violence.

The story begins with the arrest of Andre Bamberski (Daniel Auteuil)...so there's no suspense in the story. You KNOW he broke the law and was arrested....and what drove him to that is then shown through the course of the movie.

Andre and his wife split up early in the story. She's having an affair with some doctor and so the marriage is dissolved. Years later, Andre is shocked to hear that his now teenage daughter has died. And, when there's an autopsy, there's clear indication her step-father, at the very least, killed her through incompetence...but there's also indications she was raped! Amazingly, the prosecutors in Germany (where the ex and her family now live) refuse to do anything. Years later, he is able to get a court order for a new autopsy...and when the body is examined, the genitals are MISSING!!! Clearly this is some sort of attempt to hide the crime. But again, nothing really happens...the German officials stymie Andre's attempts at justice. What's next and why was Andre arrested? And, how long, if ever, will he see justice?!

See the film.

As I expected, Daniel Auteuil was excellent in the lead. He's a truly gifted actor...one of the best French actors alive. It also seems that the people making this film had a real passion to bring this case to light, as it shows the public that sometimes to get justice you might just have to break a few laws...which is incredibly sad. Overall, an extraordinary movie.

If you do watch this film, be forewarned...it's a tough thing to watch. Have some Kleenex nearby and be sure to take care of yourself, as the movie is unrelentingly sad.

Vincent Garenq is the new André Cayatte: apart from his first effort which dealt with gays who wanted a child ,his next three works " Presume Coupable " "L'Equipe " and "Kalinka " aka " Au Nom De Ma Fille " have seen him champion causes.

Unlike Cayatte ,a former lawyer who used fiction-and sometimes widely talked about affairs -,Vincent Garenq bases his films on real facts ;but like him ,and in spite of occasional flashbacks, he favors firm screenplays, linear story- telling .His style may seem jerky,telegraphic ,but his account covers 30 years (of fight against a blind justice which releases a criminal ,leaving him free to commit other horrors .)And this succinctness helps the director sustain the interest through the whole film.

Daniel Auteuil is ,as usual ,convincing as a father who devotes his life to do his beloved daughter justice ;and hats off to the make - ups: the principal is in his late thirties when he begins the task,and a sexagenarian when he finally wins the case ,and it's credible!

Even Hercules was not asked not such a labor :to clean the Augean stables of justice .That was what André Cayatte would do, that's what Vincent Garenq do today.