Thanks for the memories!

Overrated

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

This film started off grabbing my interest right away and kept it for most of the running time. There were a few spots where I felt it began to drag and get slightly tedious but the incredibly interesting and intricate plot created in me a genuine need to know what was going on and kept me watching.I was not aware these two actresses were so well known across the pond although I am sure I have seen them in other films. They did a wonderful job. All the actors were spot on.By the end of the movie all is made clear and we are not left in the dark wonder what happened. I did not walk away feeling I was dropped without the ability to make sense of it all but it is deep and deals with heavy issues.SPOILER FOR THOSE WHO ARE HONESTLY CONFUSED: The main character is having an identity crisis that is manifesting its self in transformations of everything in her life. She realizes that after a traumatic incident in her young life, she has been living her life as if she were another person who died in a tragic accident when she was a little girl. The woman we see in the beginning of the movie is that woman...the woman we see at the end of the movie is her true self. This is a woman working through a life shattering trauma as the truth begins to surface after looking into her past. She is becoming her true self.The problems with the movie are few and forgivable. I highly recommend it.

Amnesia repressed memories of childhood returning after 30 years.First let me thank what ever God spared me from having this movie be a sexual abuse themed plot.A woman in her 30s starts having psychotic symptoms....she believes the furniture in her house has been moved....she sees impossible things e.g. her husbands hair and eye color change her mother's face changes.Whoever wrote this script knows a lot about psychosis this part of the movie was very accurate. The portrayal of the psychotic hallucinations however falters because there isn't enough reference to what the actual reality is...you simply don't have enough grounding on how the apartment or people are supposed to look--so confusion is what happens.Because the nature of psychotic hallucinations is accurate (personal experience) I gave the movie an 8--overall the movie deserves about a 6. The story is too soap opera like and lacks some needed polish. For instance, there must be 500 pictures of the Madonna and child hanging on walls (the visual symbolism is too heavy handed).The causes of the psychosis and amnesia are a car wreck and the guilt and sorrow of having been "swapped" for another child at the age of 5. In the real world the psychotic delusions and hallucinations would not have fit so neatly into this perfect little puzzle.Watch this if you want to see what psychotic hallucinations are like--can't think of another movie that does this quite so well. The story and plot are a bit of a let down....switching places at 5 because of a car wreck and being the off spring of an extramarital affair... as I stated is too soap opera like.In fact just having the woman have a psychotic breakdown without the perfect fit of cause and effect would have been much more believable.RECOMMEND

It is clear Jeanne, a young writer is having some problems dealing with rejection. Her new book, a sure winner, is turned down at the start of the film by her editor. Jeanne, who appears to be a middle class woman with a nice husband and family, begins imagining things. The child she sees outside her apartment looks familiar to her, yet, she has not a clue about how that girl fits into her life.It is clear that Jeanne is having a lot of doubts about herself. Slowly, her life spins out of control. Jeanne has a special thing about Italy, so she must go there in order to find out what is really going on. As she arrives there, things get out of hand. The woman she thought was her mother is now working at her family's restaurant. Before that, Jeanne changes in front of our own eyes to become a different person. Pursuing a not too clear past comes as a shock and a surprise to the viewer.This French film conceived and directed by Marina De Van, is puzzling at best. It is obvious everything one is watching is happening in her mind. Ms. De Van's tale of suspense presents a lot for the audience to absorb. It is not an easy movie to sit through and it demands a lot from the viewer who is easily confused as Jeanne is seen as a different person, with a different husband to boot.The allure in watching "Don't Look Back" was the presence of two popular actresses, Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci. Both actresses have done much better work before, and frankly, this film does not add much luster to their otherwise good film careers. Andrea Di Stefano and Thierry Neuvic are seen as Gianni and Teo.

"I don't recognize anything. Not even my own face."Don't Look Back isn't an easy movie to wrap my thoughts around and review, and unfortunately, it also wasn't very appealing. Despite the irresistible presence of Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci, I found it hard to finish this movie. That's quite an accomplishment, now that I think about it. What we have here is an effort to communicate the perspective of a woman whose home, family, and very appearance seem to be (literally and drastically) changing before her eyes. It confuses her, and I can virtually guarantee that it will confuse you, too. Don't Look Back is not a challenging movie (I'm guessing that's the intent with which it was created), it's a nonsensical one. There's a definite attempt here to make a psychological thriller in the mold of Polanski's Repulsion mixed with a hefty serving of Lynch-style weirdness and mystery, but it's not grounded in anything substantial, captivatingly surreal, atmospheric, or ultimately human. At best, it's this movie is based on a potentially good idea run horribly amok. At worst, it's an overly long train-wreck with no point that unfortunately squanders two stunning and talented actresses. Aside from one of two interesting sequences, Don't Look Back isn't worth the trouble or the frustration.