Humanité (1999)

Synopsis: Bruno Dumont's profound, haunting motion picture is equivalent to a cinematic painting, which combines the bizarre mood of David Lynch's BLUE VELVET with the slow pacing of Robert Bresson's films.... Bruno Dumont's profound, haunting motion picture is equivalent to a cinematic painting, which combines the bizarre mood of David Lynch's BLUE VELVET with the slow pacing of Robert Bresson's films. The story concerns Pharaon De Winter (Emmanuel Schotte), a gentle, kindhearted police detective living in a small town in Northern France, who is assigned to investigate the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl. On his off-hours, he lusts after his neighbor Domino (Severine Caneele), who in turn spends her days sleeping with her insensitive boyfriend Philippe (Philippe Tullier). As the investigation unfolds and Pharaon slowly becomes overwhelmed by the sorrow that fills his body, he struggles to make sense of the world's evil ways. Dumont spent months searching for real individuals who best embodied the characters he'd envisioned when he wrote the script. Schotte and Caneele's naturalistic performances ring true in a way that adds a heightened reality to the proceedings, especially when combined with the hyper-realistic visual style that Dumont has chosen to employ. By the time the film reaches its climax, the deliberate, seemingly understated build-up has an even greater emotional impact that is at once stunning and breathtaking. [More]

Starring: Emmanuel Schotte, Severine Caneele, Philippe Tullier, Ghislain Ghesquiere

Starring: Emmanuel Schotte, Severine Caneele, Philippe Tullier, Ghislain Ghesquiere, Ginette Allegre

Director: Bruno Dumont

Director: Bruno Dumont
Screenwriter: Bruno Dumont
Producer: Jean Brehat, Rachid Bouchareb
Composer: Richard Cuvillier

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