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Emmanuelle Béart, Karin Viard, Marie Gillain, Carole Bouquet, Guillaume Canet ... see more see more... , Jacques Gamblin , Jacques Perrin , Miki Manojlovic , Maryam d'Abo , Gaëlle Bona , Dominique Reymond , Jean Rochefort , Françoise Bertin , Patrick Paroux , Serge-Henri Valcke , Esther Gorintin , Georges Siatidis , Véronique Barrault , Olivier Claverie , Candide Sanchez , Louis-Marie Audubert , Eric Naggar , Tiffany Tougard , Marie Loboda , Emma Cuzon , Julian Ciais , Arnaud Churin , Jean-Louis Barcelona , Elodie Hesme , Tatiana Gontcharova , Jean-Marc Bihour , Emmanuelle Cosso , Jérôme Le Paulmier , Clara Tissandier , Neil Ounaïs , Thomas Broustet , Isidore Renting , Camille Roche , Margaux Roche , Francesca Stirbu , Luc Favrou , Benoit Lahoz , Florent Guillaume , Mme. Guillemin , Yvon Bernard , Cathy Neimark , Cyril Ryckermen , Elisabeth Colony , Charlotte Poutrel , Pauline Reinert , Amandine Decroix , Joel Templeur , Jean-Claude Roger , Elodie Rousseau , Paula Onclin , Brigitte Belle , Marion Aydalot

Director Danis Tanovic picks up where the late-Krzysztof Kieslowski left off by taking on the second installment of Kieslowski's "Heaven," "Hell," and "Purgatory" trilogy (the first was adapted by Run... read more read more... Lola Run director Tom Tykwer) with this tale of a family whose dark past returns with a vengeance. Loosely modeled by screenwriter Krzysztof Piesiewicz on the second act of Dante's Inferno, Hell tells the story of sisters Sophie (Emmanuelle Béart), Céline (Karin Viard), and Anne (Marie Gillain), whose lives were turned upside down when their father was imprisoned and their mother was rendered a wheelchair-bound mute. As the estranged sisters are slowly brought back together by a mysterious and handsome stranger who is somehow involved with the tragic events of the past, the questions that had for years gone unanswered slowly begin to drift into focus. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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50% want to see it

1,013 ratings

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67% liked it

9 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 41 min.

Directed by: Danis Tanovic

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Flixster Reviews (83)

  • danieljparsons
    November 24, 2007
    danieljparsons
    Hell (L'Enfer as it's known in its native France) is the second film in a planned trilogy that began with the underrated Heaven directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi, based upon scripts by the late, great Krzsztof Kieslowksi (... read morethe Three Colours trilogy). The two films share little in common aside from their 'unclassifiableness' and their emotional power.

    A difficult film to analyse, Hell, directed by Academy Award winner Danis Tanovic (No Man's Land) is overflowing with ideas concerning philosophy, psyche, and emotional detachment and yet is still accessible, unpretentious and, whilst it takes itself necessarily seriously, it is also sometimes blackly funny. There's an exceptional eye for detail that's appropriately worthy of Kieslowski himself; even the opening credits concerning the plight of a bird and the eggs she is watching is gripping and gives the first insight into some of the horror that lies ahead. Although, in all probability, as with Heaven, the title is meant to be ironic, for despite some excellently shot shocks, a pervading sense of dread and a creepily effective final scene, there is some hope to the characters' lives as the film unwinds its secrets.

    Stunning cinematography, a thoughtful color scheme (each story thread seems to have its own tone), featuring a nicely dramatic music score and complimented by a trio of leading French actresses giving nuanced performances (Emmanuelle Béart, Karin Viard and Marie Gillain), Hell is very impressive.

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Critic Reviews

Scott Foundas
September 13, 2005
Scott Foundas, Variety

A decidedly cold, protracted work marked by solid, but passionless performances and a preference for polished, fashion-magazine imagery. Full Review

Kirk Honeycutt
September 9, 2005
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter

For all its literary references, the thing certainly looks like a shallow though slick French melodrama.

Brian Gibson
December 1, 2006
Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)

The spectre of Kieslowski flutters through the film, but his eye and touch aren't there%u2014it's hard to watch L'Enfer without wondering, what would he have done?

Urban Cinefile Critics
June 5, 2006
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile

The characters fascinate yet confuse. Surprisingly, the film keeps us at arms length. On reflection, I enjoyed the film more after it had finished, when I could dip back into this claustrophobic world... Full Review

Sean Axmaker
June 4, 2006
Sean Axmaker, GreenCine

Tanovic turns the drama of three damaged sisters... into a full-blooded opera with performances to match. Full Review

Scott Weinberg
September 12, 2005
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

A multi-layered tale that's as compelling on a surface level as it is laden with food-for-thought underneath. Full Review

Jon Popick
September 10, 2005
Jon Popick, Planet Sick-Boy

Gave me goose-bumps from both its content and its quality.

September 10, 2005
Toronto Star

Click to read the article Full Review

Michelle Thomas
January 20, 2007
Michelle Thomas, Future Movies UK

Click to read the article Full Review

May 6, 2006
Empire Magazine

Click to read the article Full Review

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