Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

paul2001sw-1 I think of Francois Ozon as a French version of Michael Winterbottom: a director interested in making a very diverse catalogue of films, more successful in some genres than in others, but no two of his movies are ever quite the same. 'In the House' tells the story of a teacher who encourages a pupil with a knack for storytelling, choosing to ignore (or even to encourage) the way the pupil is experimenting with life in order to find material for his tale. The twists revolve around the extent to which the teacher himself may also be present within the story. The conceit isn't a bad one, but the film has to work implausibly hard to bring it off: while the teacher and his wife are believable, I didn't find the pupil to be. Always he is writing of "normal life", as if to contrast with his own; but the film tells us nothing of what his own life actually is (except as a game-player extraordinaire). The ending is skillfully executed but overall, it's a little heavy-handed.

Vinicius Andrade Dans la Mansion has a very captivating plot and it's very difficult to not get involved right away. Its interesting development and storytelling combined with artistic references bring a distinction to the picture, besides having a break of linearity which makes the movie quite unpredictable and unexpected. Fabrice Luchini is German, a literature teacher who is resigned with his present life, but with the arrival of one student, Claude García, and his talent in writing, shake his life, making him feel alive and feel like as if he was accomplishing already forgotten and distant dreams through his student. Fabrice has a good performance, even being active and important in the progress of the story, sometimes felt like he also was a spectator, the change of personality as he was reading Claude's texts, his actions and thoughts began to get influenced and impacted by his student's essays. Ernst Umhauer as Claude is the highlight of the film, he's amazing as he created such compelling character that is so intriguing and mysterious. The scenes which Claude is in as both narrator and character has a certain prominence to show both an influence among narrator-character as character-narrator. When it deconstruct and give a new perspective to a scene already presented due this unusual dialogue, the picture assimilates with the creation of a artistic work as the author changes his project as a result of influences around him. In addition of creating an uncertainty of what really happened considering the puzzling distinction between fiction and reality.

Blake Peterson Joining the Tom Ripleys and the Brandon Shaws of the world, Claude Garcia (Ernst Umhauer) is yet another slick sociopath that smiles a creepy smile in the face of the mini-tragedies that befall the people that attract his attention. He isn't a killer but he may as well be; he seems distant from reality, putting himself at an arm's length away from life's biggest outpourings of emotion.In the House is a clever black comedy that touches on the obsessions of Brian De Palma and the subtleties of Hitchcock. With an adept premise at its disposal, the film constructs several climaxes (some based in reality, some in fantasy) that act as tricks in a setting of stringed treats. Ozon's direction is subversive and unpredictable; the situation begins with a comedic edge, but will it transform into a voyeuristic thriller? In the House keeps us on our toes at all times — even if it isn't necessarily a "thriller" per se, it contains the same uncomfortable silence, the same uncomfortable suspense.It's the start of a new school year, and lit teacher Germain Germain (Fabrice Luchini) can feel unrest bubbling in his blood. When he assigns a "How I Spent My Last Weekend" essay, he is disappointed with the results. The majority of the kids are so apathetic that all they can muster is a few lines about how they ate pizza on Saturday and were too tired to do anything on Sunday. But one student perks his interest: the smarmy Claude Garcia, who writes about his experience wriggling into the home of an affluent family he's been spying on. To him, they're picture perfect. When he becomes the tutor of the house's youngest member, the shy Rapha (Bastien Ughetto), he is simultaneously intrigued and mocking of their boring normalities. The paper ends simply with a to be continued.Germain is troubled, but mesmerized. He seems to visualize a premise for a potentially successful novel, and immediately takes interest in Claude's writings. He wants his student to make that to be continued a reality. Germain once again finds enthusiasm for teaching, but when Claude proves to be much more perceptive and manipulative than he first appears to be, a chain of events trails on that means disaster for his instructor.In the House is brilliantly constructed, seamless in a labyrinth of intricacies. It's amusing and dark; as Germain analyzes Claude's writings as though they were fiction, there is devious smirk on Claude's face; but then again, we're wearing that devious smirk too. Germain intermittently pushes his student to further develop the Rapha Sr. "character," or delve a little deeper into the psyche of his wife (Emmanuelle Seigner) — one can only hold their head in their hands in frustration that Germain can't seem to grasp the idea that these people are real, and the damage done is all the work of Claude. Yet, Germain has had the same job for years, has been married for years, has kept the same routine going for years. In order to get some excitement into the atmosphere, he'd rather live the lives of seemingly average people just to avoid the ennui of his own. Luchini's performance is so convincing that we never see Germain with disappointment in our eyes; we instead see a man so caught up in escapism that he'd do anything to ride on its back.Claude, however, is a willing subject. He slides along corridors hoping to catch a glimpse of something he shouldn't, he wishes to whiff another scent of a middle-class woman, as he so uncomfortably puts it. For the majority of the film, he carries a dashing arrogance that makes you want him to do bad; but just towards the end, we find him just as desperate to escape his own reality as Germain is. Umhauer is 50 shades of sinister, and the fact that we hope for something unspeakable to happen speaks volumes about his performance.In the House jumbles up the trappings of suburban life and twists it into a gnarled exercise in underlying tension. The terror we feel never comes to a head, but we crave it. Read more reviews at petersonreviews.com

kosmasp A wicked little movie that tries to brake boundaries and more than the fourth wall. It raises up a lot of questions and puts up the mirror to a lot of things, while continuously being funny and wicked at the same time. A hilarious attempt at describing what Art means nowadays or how we try to interpret it. Maybe even how we try to create it.There is more than one story strand in this movie and they all get at least somewhat explored. And while some of those strands may feel like a cliché, the head on approach make them feel like a fresh take on it. You have to have an open mind about the movie and the way it is shot and told, but if you can do that, you might be able to enjoy this very much. Multiple views can also bring up new and exciting things you might not have seen first time around. Whatever the case, I can recommend this to anyone who wants to be intellectually challenged by watching a movie.