Marie-October

The space of one lounge, ten former members of the resistance, one maid and the exposure of a fifteen-year-old story of betrayal. And even if they could prove what happened in the past, what to do with the traitor after all these years? The point or the identity of the individual concerned is not that important in this movie. It is mainly an acting concert in the form of a conversational drama à la 12 Angry Men where everything depends on a perfectly build up and ever more tense atmosphere of mistrust growing amongst friends who would have sacrificed their lives for one another. Once upon a time, but not anymore. (03/02/2013)

Ten former French resistance fighters gather in one room to identify the traitor among them. The perpetrator could be any one of them. Thus begins a tense game full of paranoia. This movie has really well-written razor-sharp dialogues reminiscent of 12 Angry Men, done in a French style. In this movie they even ruminate over guilt and innocence, on cutting the guilty loose, or giving them the death penalty, it is just that the culprit has not yet been identified. However, that soon changes. Marie-Octobre is a well-written, performed and directed chamber drama that will really suck you in. (08/09/2019)

Back in the day, I watched the flagship of the conversational drama genre, Twelve Angry Men, without much enthusiasm. However, Marie-October was a clear surprise for me and I put it in the spot reserved for Lumet's film. The quality dialogues, strong theme, the search for a traitor and a murderer among its ranks, and top-notch cast guarantee an attractive spectacle that has not aged even after 60 years. An interior conversational drama usually gives the impression of a theatrical performance in front of a film camera, and that is the case here as well, but personally, I do not consider this fact a handicap. Thumbs up from me, overall impression: 90%. (17/05/2020)