Le Méchanique de L’Ombre (Scribe)

9^th October 2016 9.00pm at Prince Charles Cinema
10^th October 2016 3.15pm at Vue West End

La Mécanique de L’Ombre (Scribe) is a French thriller by writer and director Thomas Kruithof. It is the story of Monsieur Duval (played by the Cézar Award-winning actor, François Cluzet), an alcohol prone office clerk who, by the opening of the film, suffers from a mental collapse that puts a stopper to his career. We meet him two years onwards at AA. He has not yet managed to find an occupation, which greatly frustrates him, when he is approached by a duplicitous company that needs a diligent worker to transcribe phone calls. It soon transpires to be not what he had expected.

This is a solemn thriller that shocks you at the appropriate times. The serenity is often destroyed by unsolicited trepidation, as is required of the genre, and the film’s colour scheme can be described as “grey”. It accurately reflects the tediousness of Duval’s work. Bureaucracy is repetitive and a depressing palette is mandatory.

Cluzet was good: his character is a humble one, mostly keeping private, but he has a good heart, which is indicated by his sponsorship of the young, beautiful, and fellow AA member  Sara (Alba Rohrwacher). Her character is oftentimes strange. She seems dependent on him in a stalkerish manner, but supposedly the movie does that to maintain suspicion as to who is trustworthy. Simon Abkarian as Gerfaut was enjoyable, arguably the best actor throughout.

A cumbersome fact, however, is that La Mécanique de L’Ombre (Scribe) is a male-dominated film. We have the fifty-something male, alluring in his maturity, that gains the company of a gorgeous woman, who is considerably his junior and, unsurprisingly, needs saving. Although the movie does not explicitly show that love affair – which is a relief – it is there. Despite that fact, this is not a bad movie. It certainly has potential and manages to captivate your attention.

Kim Varod

Le Méchanique de L’Ombre (Scribe) does not have a UK release date yet.

For further information about the 60^th London Film Festival visit here.

Read more reviews from the festival here.