Cinema

For more movie summaries, see Kam's Kapsules.

REMEMBER WHEN WE CARVED OUR INITIALS IN THIS TREE?: Margot (Marie-Josee Croze, left) and her husband Alexandre (François Cluzet) return on their wedding anniversary to the place where they used to meet ever since they were small children, and, after they fell in love, carved their initials in the trunk of the tree.

Tell No One: Grieving Husband Becomes Prime Suspect in Wife’s Murder

Kam Williams

Margot (Marie-Josee Croze) and Alexandre Beck (François Cluzet) were celebrating their anniversary at their favorite spot along the shore of a secluded lake — the very spot that they had used as their special meeting place since they were children — when she was brutally murdered by a serial killer. Eight years later the devastated widower was still mourning the loss of his childhood sweetheart.

Somehow, Dr. Beck continued his medicine practice but was only been able to continue working with the help of his younger sister’s (Marina Hands) companion Helene (Kristin Scott Thomas). Suddenly, mysterious email messages began to arrive that suggested that Margot might somehow still be alive, despite the fact that her body presumably was cremated. Furthermore, he is warned to “Tell no one” because “we’re being watched.”

Desperate to get to the bottom of what must be either a cruel joke — or could be the best reunion he could have ever imagined — Alex begins to investigate clues which lead him to interact with a criminal element on the seamy side of Paris. However, he is unaware that the police have since uncovered new evidence concerning the murder and that they have also found a couple of bodies buried at the lake. As a result, they have decided to reopen the case.

Dr. Beck becomes the prime suspect, and there are questions aplenty waiting to be answered in Tell No One, a clever mystery directed by Guillaume Canet. Is Margot dead or alive? If she is deceased, was her husband involved in the murder?

Clocking in at a tedious two-plus hours, this over plotted crime movie could easily have been shortened by 30 minutes, thereby resulting in a more riveting experience. Nonetheless, be patient, because the denouement is well worth the wait.

Very Good (3 stars). Unrated. In French with subtitles. Running time: 125 minutes. Studio: Music Box Films.

For more movie summaries, see Kam's Kapsules.

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