Simply A Masterpiece

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I'm surprised that none of the previous posters has mentioned the glaring connection to Martin Guerre, in fact given that the protagonist is a child rather than an adult it could almost be called Martin Guerre lite. This is not to disparage an excellent film in which Brigitte Rouan stands out in the midst of some extremely fine performances. As her Christian name indicates Agnieszka Holland is actually Polish, born in Warsaw, trained in Czeckoslovakia and there is something fitting about this in a film where things are not always what they seem. The 'logical' questions that occur - for example when he is first noticed by the cop who investigated his disappearance six years earlier the youth could have no idea of who he resembled yet when questioned he is able to state categorically that he had no brothers, only a sister named Nadine. It's straining credulity to the utmost to accept that a male prostitute living presumably on the streets would have 1) read about the case when he himself was only six and 2) retained such explicit factual detail - are more or less swept aside by the high quality directing and acting on display. A fine film.

A lot of people say that a major flaw of this movie is the odd powers of the sister, and when I first saw this movie I thought exactly that. Now that it's been about a year, I think that these powers, and how they aren't explained or dealt with in any way is amazing story telling. I don't think this movie is meant to make perfect sense, some people just don't understand that life itself makes no sense. The supernatural powers help create a tone that is haunting and beautiful. It's the style of the movie that makes it great. Most movies are completely forgettable, but this one stays with you and is so sad and wonderful. Also see Jean de Florette.

What the hell went on in this film? Okay, kid vanishes from weird family, family panics, they get weirder, dad flees to Africa. Then, after about six years, the kid comes back from Paris and reintroduces himself to the family. I have it up to here.Now, I am a fan of psychological movies. They appeal to me much more than movies that " blow stuff up " and I am considered an intelligent person. But the movie lost me after the first 45 minutes. What did the girl's power have to do with ANYTHING? Was he their real son or a fake? [ The movie offers symbolism but no actual CLUES that are good in a psychological movie. ] Does anyone care?Art in the name of intellectual advancement is good. Art in the name of " art " is pretentious and not deserving of film time.But the movie did one major good point - no dubbing, subtitles instead!

Now this is a truly wonderful film. It's simple enough: one day, a young boy goes missing from his family. Several years later, he returns - or does he?This movie is a flawless dissection of a frighteningly twisted family, with extremely vivid characters. Agnieszka Holland has succeeded at that difficult task: create realistic characters in a believable situation, yet present them with shockingly eerie dilemma. Strongly recommended.Side note: the only flaw in this movie was the rather ridiculous invocation of the supernatural. Fortunately, it's part of an almost completely irrelevant subplot, and can be safely ignored.