The Pact of Silence

Rating:
Summary: Mystery solved. Next!
Review: A sullen girl is imprisoned in France. A young nun in Brazil is tormented by mysterious abdominal pain. Father Joachim (Gerard Depardieu), the priest-surgeon assigned to the nun's case, is mystified by her ailment and fascinated when its cause cannot be determined. Perhaps he sees in the young woman's secretiveness a reflection of his own violent past? What is the connection between these cases and the mysterious words "screel deen" that the nun screams in her agonies?

The filmmaker strings us along for the better part of an hour, as we tease out the mysterious connections. We are treated to mysterious voodoo rituals on the beach, a nosy journalist wannabe, an improbably love story and a mother with secrets of her own. There is so much deliberate confusion and unclear switched identities that by the end, I wasn't sure what happened and I cared even less.

BTW: This film is rated R only for 1 shot of a nun binding her breasts during the opening credits.

Rating:
Summary: Don't think of this as a French film
Review: Gerard Depardieu stars in a large number of films--some are superb, and some are stinkers. This film falls in the latter category.

In "Pact of Silence", Depardieu plays Joachim--a Jesuit priest/doctor who is both concerned and fascinated by the illness of a young Carmelite nun, Sarah, who is under his care. A medical examination, a stay in the hospital, and tests reveal that there is no underlying cause for the acute abdominal pains that cause her to collapse. Joachim believes that Sarah's physical illness is rooted in psychological causes. The mother superior, Mother Emmanuelle (Carmen Maura) whisks Sarah out of the hospital before Joachim can confirm his suspicions.

Joachim is compelled to look further into the case, and after a little detective work, he discovers that Sarah's identical twin sister, Gaelle, is in prison for a murder she committed as a child. There seems to be some evidence--at least on the part of the Carmelite nuns--to disguise Sarah's past. Joachim decides to track down Gaelle and see if he can get some answers.

Where to start...

Joachim is supposed to be so obsessed with these twin sisters that he commits severe violations in order to discover the truth. Depardieu is a phenomenal actor, but his heart was not in this role. He didn't seem obsessed. He seemed mildly interested, and that just about describes my relationship with the film too. The whole grabby love story was preposterous.

I can't reveal too much of the plot, but there were some RAGING inconsistencies here and many loose ends that were simply never addressed. What is the terrible thing in Joachim's past? (A couple of flashbacks aren't enough, sorry, in light of his later actions). Why did the Carmelite nuns go to such lengths to ward off Joachim? (Unfortunately, you'll have to see the film to know what I'm talking about.) And then the entire denouement was totally unbelievable and the film slid into cheesy plot manipulations to tie everything together. The one saving grace to this film was actress Elodie Bouchez who played Gaelle/Sarah. Her performance was quite touching.

If you take away the French accents and subtitles, what is left is a cheesy plot full of holes. Yes, there were elements of psychic phenomenon--all that twin stuff-but bottom line, if this was an American film it would be laughed off the video shelves--displacedhuman

Rating:
Summary: Don't think of this as a French film
Review: Gerard Depardieu stars in a large number of films--some are superb, and some are stinkers. This film falls in the latter category.

In "Pact of Silence", Depardieu plays Joachim--a Jesuit priest/doctor who is both concerned and fascinated by the illness of a young Carmelite nun, Sarah, who is under his care. A medical examination, a stay in the hospital, and tests reveal that there is no underlying cause for the acute abdominal pains that cause her to collapse. Joachim believes that Sarah's physical illness is rooted in psychological causes. The mother superior, Mother Emmanuelle (Carmen Maura) whisks Sarah out of the hospital before Joachim can confirm his suspicions.

Joachim is compelled to look further into the case, and after a little detective work, he discovers that Sarah's identical twin sister, Gaelle, is in prison for a murder she committed as a child. There seems to be some evidence--at least on the part of the Carmelite nuns--to disguise Sarah's past. Joachim decides to track down Gaelle and see if he can get some answers.

Where to start...

Joachim is supposed to be so obsessed with these twin sisters that he commits severe violations in order to discover the truth. Depardieu is a phenomenal actor, but his heart was not in this role. He didn't seem obsessed. He seemed mildly interested, and that just about describes my relationship with the film too. The whole grabby love story was preposterous.

I can't reveal too much of the plot, but there were some RAGING inconsistencies here and many loose ends that were simply never addressed. What is the terrible thing in Joachim's past? (A couple of flashbacks aren't enough, sorry, in light of his later actions). Why did the Carmelite nuns go to such lengths to ward off Joachim? (Unfortunately, you'll have to see the film to know what I'm talking about.) And then the entire denouement was totally unbelievable and the film slid into cheesy plot manipulations to tie everything together. The one saving grace to this film was actress Elodie Bouchez who played Gaelle/Sarah. Her performance was quite touching.

If you take away the French accents and subtitles, what is left is a cheesy plot full of holes. Yes, there were elements of psychic phenomenon--all that twin stuff-but bottom line, if this was an American film it would be laughed off the video shelves--displacedhuman

Rating:
Summary: A Film of Gothic Proportions as only the French can make!
Review: THE PACT OF SILENCE is an astonishingly fine film that is one of the best French murder mysteries/gothic stories since DIABOLIQUE. The story is complex and unravels slowly and tensely. Gerard Depardieu (in one of his finest performances) plays a priest/physician with a past of his own who happens to be called to care for a young Carmelite nun with bizarre, recurrent abdominal pain and anxiety atttacks. Though the Carmelite order does not accept contemporary medicine, Depardieu follows the young nun, makes discoveries about her parents and finds that she has an identical twin sister who is in prison for alledgedly murdering a child under her care while baby sitting 10 years ago. There is a Mother Superior (the inordinately gifted actress Carmen Maura) who cares for the young nun (Sarah) and holds to beliefs that herbal medicine, especially as practiced by a shamanist women in Brazil, is the only means of curing Sarah's ills. At this point Depardieu's priest is commited to investigate the source of his patient's pain and is defrocked as priest for his efforts. Sarah's twin (Gaelle) is released from prison, and in fear and desparation finds succour in the kindness of Depardieu's Priest.

Once the twins know of each other's whereabouts the mystery grows thicker and the resolution of the impact of the 'pact of silence' between the twins is the climax of this thrilling film. To say more would lessen the effect of the movie. There is a powerful statement about taking responsibility for one's past, and the power of love that is the source of healing, and some very interesting insights into the Catholic Church and its Orders. Beautifully filmed in Paris and Portugal, the scenery and camera effects are majestic, the use of flashbacks to provide the past history of each of the characters is subtle and very well done, and the acting is homogeneously excellent. The twins are played by young French actress Elodie Bouchez and her ability to find the separate identities in the identical twins' personalities is uncanny. In French with excellent subtitles. The music score (ranging from Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater" to contemporary street music) is well realized. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Rating:
Summary: A Film of Gothic Proportions as only the French can make!
Review: THE PACT OF SILENCE is an astonishingly fine film that is one of the best French murder mysteries/gothic stories since DIABOLIQUE. The story is complex and unravels slowly and tensely. Gerard Depardieu (in one of his finest performances) plays a priest/physician with a past of his own who happens to be called to care for a young Carmelite nun with bizarre, recurrent abdominal pain and anxiety atttacks. Though the Carmelite order does not accept contemporary medicine, Depardieu follows the young nun, makes discoveries about her parents and finds that she has an identical twin sister who is in prison for alledgedly murdering a child under her care while baby sitting 10 years ago. There is a Mother Superior (the inordinately gifted actress Carmen Maura) who cares for the young nun (Sarah) and holds to beliefs that herbal medicine, especially as practiced by a shamanist women in Brazil, is the only means of curing Sarah's ills. At this point Depardieu's priest is commited to investigate the source of his patient's pain and is defrocked as priest for his efforts. Sarah's twin (Gaelle) is released from prison, and in fear and desparation finds succour in the kindness of Depardieu's Priest.

Once the twins know of each other's whereabouts the mystery grows thicker and the resolution of the impact of the 'pact of silence' between the twins is the climax of this thrilling film. To say more would lessen the effect of the movie. There is a powerful statement about taking responsibility for one's past, and the power of love that is the source of healing, and some very interesting insights into the Catholic Church and its Orders. Beautifully filmed in Paris and Portugal, the scenery and camera effects are majestic, the use of flashbacks to provide the past history of each of the characters is subtle and very well done, and the acting is homogeneously excellent. The twins are played by young French actress Elodie Bouchez and her ability to find the separate identities in the identical twins' personalities is uncanny. In French with excellent subtitles. The music score (ranging from Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater" to contemporary street music) is well realized. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Rating:
Summary: Very good film!
Review: This film is a great example of the excellent French/European filming. Gerard De Paurdiou is one of the most incredible performers I've seen. This film is a little confusing because of the lack of time to explain everything's going on but we can figure it out step by step in our minds. The actress playing the role of the twin sisters is superb. Is a suspense thriller that will surprise you as you would never imagine. Highly reccomended.