Road to domestic hell paved with violence
Dark film is very good, but it is hard to watch
Le Paradis des bêtes
Starring: Stefano Cassetti, Géraldine Pailhas, Muriel Robin, Valentine Klingberg, Léon Brachet Playing in French at: Beaubien
cinema Parents’ guide: domestic violence Le Paradis des bêtes is a worthy film, a moving film, but that doesn’t mean it’s a heck of a lot of fun to watch. Au contraire, it’s a majorleague downer, in its own way even more depressing than Podz’s ultradark new Quebec film, L’Affaire Dumont.
This is a horror story about a family that’s about to be ripped apart. It’s a family whose members seem to have a lot going for them: Dominique (Stefano Cassetti), Cathy (Géraldine Pailhas) and their two lovely young kids, Clarisse (Valentine Klingberg) and Ferdinand (Léon Brachet), are living in a beautiful house nestled in the French Alps.
Ferdinand has a nightmare late one night and his dad seems an absolute charmer, soon having the kid howling with laughter thanks to his goofy sleight of hand. But older sister Clarisse is mighty moody, and we soon learn why.
The grade-school-age kids see their parents fighting all the time, and Dominique starts getting extremely violent with their mother, as they look on in horror. He runs a big pet store, called Le Paradis des bêtes, with his sister Stéphane (Muriel Robin), and she, too, obviously has some issues. Stéphane may not be quite as violent as her brother, but she’s still quite brutal with the kids.
Cathy takes off with the kids, but her attempt to make a run for it fails miserably. In a turn of events that, sadly enough, could have come from real life, the abusive husband catches up with them, nearly kills his wife, and hits the road with his children, taking them to a posh ski resort in Switzerland.
Seasoned French actress Estelle Larrivaz makes her feature directorial debut here, and shows remarkable assurance in her first turn behind the camera. The screenplay by Larrivaz and Guillaume Daporta also impresses, showcasing their ability to create some strong, memorable characters and dramatic moments that ring so true to life.
One issue, though, is that some of the action is seen through the eyes of the kids and at other times the story is told via the points of view of the adults — an inconsistency that waters down the drama. The other problem is that it’s so hard to identify with anyone in the film. Dominique is an absolute monster, and it’s horrifying to watch some of the scenes of domestic violence. But Cathy isn’t even all that sympathetic, since we don’t find out enough about her. The screenwriters fare better with the kids, who are both struggling to survive this terrible situation.
All of the actors are top-notch, but Cassetti is particularly impressive as a man who can go from full-on charm to brute psychosis in a nanosecond.