Confession d'un enfant du siècle (2012)
Directed by Sylvie Verheyde

Drama
aka: Confession of a Child of the Century

Film Synopsis

Paris, 1830.  Octave is an idealistic young man who has yet to become disenchanted with the treachery of others.  The revelation, when it comes, has a devastating effect on him.  After being deceived by his mistress, he realises he can never again trust another woman, so he allows himself to be lured into a life of excessive debauchery by his friend Desgenais.  The life of the carefree libertine fails to satisfy Octave's needs, so he retreats to the countryside to nurse his oppressive melancholy in quieter surroundings.  He convinces himself that what he is suffering from is the sickness of the age.  O tempora, o mores.

His father's death gives Octave an opportunity to reflect on his life, but as he does so he falls under the bewitching influence of Brigitte, a widow who is ten years his senior.  At once he is overcome by a new passion, and he is as sure as he can be that Brigitte is the woman he was destined to take as his wife.  But as he succumbs to this latest romantic infatuation Octave is assailed by fresh doubts over whether he can trust any woman.  He has been cheated before, so why shouldn't he be cheated a second time?  His fears that he is heading for another disappointment are confirmed by a seemingly innocent little lie...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Sylvie Verheyde
  • Script: Alfred de Musset (novel), Sylvie Verheyde
  • Cinematographer: Nicolas Gaurin
  • Cast: Charlotte Gainsbourg (Brigitte), Pete Doherty (Octave), August Diehl (Desgenais), Lily Cole (Elise), Volker Bruch (Henri Smith), Guillaume Gallienne (Mercanson), Karole Rocher (Marco), Rhian Rees (Madame Levasseur), Joséphine de La Baume (Desgenais's Mistress), Rebecca James (Voice Over), Effi Rabsilber (Cantatrice), Julia Schmelzle (Maîtresse), Kathrin Anna Stahl (Chanteuse), Diana Stewart (Brigitte's aunt), Christelle Lahaye (Brigitte's Maidservant)
  • Country: France / Germany / UK
  • Language: English
  • Support: Color
  • Runtime: 125 min
  • Aka: Confession of a Child of the Century

The very best of German cinema
sb-img-25
German cinema was at its most inspired in the 1920s, strongly influenced by the expressionist movement, but it enjoyed a renaissance in the 1970s.
The brighter side of Franz Kafka
sb-img-1
In his letters to his friends and family, Franz Kafka gives us a rich self-portrait that is surprisingly upbeat, nor the angst-ridden soul we might expect.
The very best fantasy films in French cinema
sb-img-30
Whilst the horror genre is under-represented in French cinema, there are still a fair number of weird and wonderful forays into the realms of fantasy.
The very best of Italian cinema
sb-img-23
Fellini, Visconti, Antonioni, De Sica, Pasolini... who can resist the intoxicating charm of Italian cinema?
The history of French cinema
sb-img-8
From its birth in 1895, cinema has been an essential part of French culture. Now it is one of the most dynamic, versatile and important of the arts in France.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © frenchfilms.org 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright