FILM-FORWARD.COM

Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video

SEVENTH HEAVEN
Directed by: Benoît Jacquot.
Produced by: Georges Benayoun & Philippe Carcassonne.
Written by: Benoît Jacquot & Jérôme Beaujour.
Director of Photography: Romain Winding.
Edited by: Pascale Chavance.
Released by: Zeitgeist.
Country of Origin: France. 85 min. Not Rated.
With: Sandrine Kiberlain & Vincent Lindon.
DVD Features: English Subtitles.

The sexual bond between husband and wife is at the core of Seventh Heaven. Mathilde (Kiberlain) is a pretty, young Parisian mom suffering an identity crisis. She passes through the city in a zombie-like trance - stealing toys, fainting and ditching work. Her handsome husband, Nico (Vincent), is a successful surgeon. However, the two can barely talk to each other. And in bed, she remains in a stupor. Through a chance encounter, a mysterious hypnotist/therapist finds and treats Mathilde, and suddenly she’s a new woman. She rearranges furniture to follow the guidelines of feng shui and rediscovers things about her own father through hypnosis. By discovering herself through alternative therapy, Mathilde becomes content, and the sex gets better. But this change is too much for Nico, and he begins, in a compelling plot twist, to unravel.

In the process, director Jacquot reveals the relativity of family relationships. As Mathilde changes, her husband must change; as he changes, Mathilde’s role as mom shifts. At one point, her adorable young son is reading to her, while she sleeps instead of the other way around. And what surfaces is a mutable family dynamic, which must become flexible to allow for Mathilde’s new found happiness.

Released in 1997, the themes in the film feel already dated - hypnotherapy and feng shui don’t quite justify Mathilde’s sudden transformation. However, through her subtle acting, Kiberlain is convincing. With its rich cinematography, Seventh Heaven successfully and humorously calls into question the role of husband, wife and child within the modern family. Caitlin Shamberg, former programming associate for the Mill Valley Film Festival
April 26, 2004

Home

About Film-Forward.com

Archive of Previous Reviews

Film-Forward.com, 180 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012 - Contact us