Un Secret

Yet another WWII drama enters cinemas the week; French film, Un Secret, inspired by the ‘true story’ novel by Philippe Grimbert. This is not, however, a war story in the usual, overt sense. Instead, it is a powerful family drama portraying the more indirect, yet still significant, impact that war can have upon relationships. The film takes us into post-war Paris, and introduces us to a young Philippe (Valentin Vigourt) and his Jewish family. Initially, Philippe’s life seems to be all about bright colours and youthful exuberance; however, an eerie soundtrack and the occasional dimly-lit close-up let us know that something is not quite right. Philippe can never match up to the expectations of his father, and is constantly haunted by the spectre of a ‘phantom brother’ who can. Through exchanges with his next-door-neighbour and family friend, Louise (Julie Depardieu), Philippe gradually learns about his parents’ secret past, and the family that his father had and lost during the war, before Phillipe.

From this point onwards, Un Secret opens up to reveal a truly intriguing story, and some superb performances, particularly from Patrick Bruel and Cecile de France as Philippe’s parents. There’s a real depth to the story, and it traverses some pretty unique themes, as one of the few French war films to deal explicitly with the French police’s subservience to the Nazis – so in that alone this film is unique. Unfortunately, however, a lot of this gets lost amongst a clumsy narrative structure. While the film begins in Philippe’s childhood, most of the scenes are flashbacks to the parents’ past (some real, some imagined), with a sizeable portion of the film set in the future, as an adult Philippe looks back upon his childhood discoveries. The three narrative strands are messily interwoven, with sudden shifts in time constantly interrupting emotional engagement. Sadly, it’s the classic example of an amazing story poorly told.

Rating: 7.9