mamlukman I saw this at the Toronto Film Festival when it first came out in 2005. The director was there to answer questions, as was the lovely Marie Gillain. She is absolutely awesome in person! The NTSC DVD was released in late 2009.I think this is one of those movies where it depends on what the viewer brings to the theatre. I can see where it could leave some people cold, but to me it was extremely relevant and moving. The basic plot is how the father's actions affect his wife and children. But really it is about how the wife's actions affect the father and the children. Because ultimately it is not the action (or supposed action) itself that causes the issues, it's the reaction of the wife that causes the later reaction in the children. It's really a lesson in giving someone the benefit of the doubt, of loving them enough to trust them. The details of what the children do to screw up their lives is necessary, but only to show that they are screwed up. The details are unimportant, and those who focus on this aspect of the movie--although it obviously takes up a lot of time--are missing the point. I suppose you could try to psychoanalyze each daughter and her issues--is the one who's having an affair with a professor looking for a substitute father? etc.--but I think that is unnecessary. The real climax is the last line of the movie, as others have said. It really gives you something to think about and it puts the rest of the movie into context. It's downright chilling.The opening scene of the cuckoo and the nest was, according to the director, an accident. They were filming the father's release from prison, and they ran across this nest with the cuckoo, so they filmed it because it was so cool. So cool that they stuck it in as the opening scene. I know I spent the entire movie trying to figure out the analogy between the cuckoo and the rest of the movie...I suppose there's a vague connection, but don't lose sleep over it. Watch it as a segment in a nice nature movie, and then concentrate on the movie itself.

punyaketu After seeing this great film on the big screen I had to think of the composer Salieri as shown in the film "Amadeus" (based on Peter Shaffer's play). There he says about the perfection of Mozart's music that it would neither be possible to take one note away nor to add one. The same applies for me to "L'enfer"/"Hell". From start to finish every detail is absolutely spot on. There was no question for me if I should buy the DVD when it came out or not. It has a special place in my collection and I show/see it only with friends who really can appreciate a good and meaningful film with depth to it.When looking at the information on this website about the writers of the film I can see why often giving credits to the writing can be problematic. As the DVD has as an extra background information and clips about the making of L'enfer I seem to remember from it that the fantastic director had a lot of input into it. At least one of the main actresses commented that he actually recreated the script and made it his own. Though he might not have done this in written form his handwriting is all over the end-product. This, and also in many other ways as you can find out when you watch the DVD extras yourself, makes it such a beautiful "round" piece of art.Art is done by artists, and therefore great art is created by great artists. This director belongs definitely to the latter. He didn't even attempt to make it a "Kieszlowski film". Much better, he made it absolutely his own. Kieszlowski would have been proud of it (what, on the other hand, I unfortunately can't say at all about the "prequel" Heaven by my fellow country-man Tom Tykwer). For me it is therefore also the best memorial for that great and important Polish director who died so prematurely.

Peegee-3 I found this film to be visually beautiful and totally satisfying on that level. The story (already well documented here) is a bit more melodramatic than I had hoped...considering that Kieslowski (whose film I treasure) was the originator of the concept.The saturated color throughout the film...the subtle, wordless way in which Danis Tanovic uses images to say far more than words can...is as haunting as anything I've seen in movies for many a year....probably not since Kieslowski's own work.It seems a crime that this movie has not been released in theaters in the U.S. A real deprivation. I would urge lovers of film as art to buy the available DVD. You'll find it rewarding.

scarbiedoll Just saw this film at TIFF. I was quite moved by it. The voting stats here claim the film was better received by females than males. I can understand this completely. The characters all had elements a woman could relate to and some of the scenes just felt so real. Particularly the scene involving Emmanuelle Beart and her husband in the kitchen. Gosh, don't you just want to kiss her bee-stung lips? I feel it was masterfully executed by the director (who seemed like a nice guy during his Q&A session -- great sense of humour). The cinematography, the editing, the performances. Fabulous. You could tell that Danis has a real passion for film-making and has clearly studied the greats with an exceptional eye for detail. His self-proclaimed homage to Krzysztof Kieslowski hit the mark for me with it's claustrophobic interiors and dark females haunted desperate secrets. I highly recommend this film.