Les Mains libres
Promotional poster
Directed byBrigitte Sy
Written by
  • Brigitte Sy
  • Gaëlle Macé
Produced by
  • Mathieu Bompoint
  • Claire Trinquet
Starring
CinematographyFrédéric Serve
Edited byJulie Dupré
Music byDaniel Mille
Production
companies
Distributed byChrysalis Films
Release date
  • 16 June 2010 (2010-06-16) (France)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
Budget€1.64m

Les Mains libres (The Free Hands) is a 2010 French drama film directed by Brigitte Sy. It stars Ronit Elkabetz, Carlo Brandt, and Noémie Lvovsky. It was released theatrically in France on 16 June 2010. It is a feature-length prequel to Sy's 2008 short film, L'Endroit idéal.[1]

Plot

Barbara (Elkabetz) is a filmmaker developing a film written and acted by prison inmates in Paris. She defies legal boundaries, unleashing a series of consequences when she forms a deep romantic relationship with Michel (Brandt), an inmate involved in the film project.[2]

Cast

  • Ronit Elkabetz as Barbara
  • Carlo Brandt as Michel
  • Noémie Lvovsky as Rita
  • Camille Figuereo as Chloé
  • Adama Doumbia as Roel
  • Denis Maréchal as Fifi
  • Gurgon Kyap as James
  • Abdelhafid Metalsi as Mouloud
  • Xavier Legrand as Laurent
  • Ahmed M'Hemdi as Bouda
  • François Négret as Sergueï
  • Alain Ollivier as Le directeur de la prison
  • Sasha Andres as Marie-Pierre
  • Dominique Frot as La juge
  • Brigitte Sy as Le femme blonde

Reception

Thomas Baurez of L'Express, described it as "intelligent, gracious and humble.. a love story of the purest sense of the term."[3] Lucie Calet of Le Nouvel Observateur, continued that it is a "Greek tragedy" of "great dignity."[4] Le Figaro praised the depiction of the tangible reality of the film as well as Eliabetz' superb and dark performance, evoking traits of the Madonna.[5]

The film was warmly received by The New Yorker; "with calm and nuanced images, Sy captures emotionally unguarded characters locked in the gaze of prying eyes; with brusque, quiet action and incisive, tight-lipped dialogue, she sets a gripping plot in motion while keeping it close to the heart."[6]

References

  1. ↑ L'Endroit idéal (2008) Uni France. Retrieved on 5 July 2010
  2. ↑ New releases Cineuropa. 16 June 2010
  3. ↑ Les mains libres, brillant ! (Studio Ciné Live) L'Express. 15 June 2010. French
  4. ↑ Les Mains libres de Brigitte Sy Evene. Retrieved on 29 June. French
  5. ↑ La femme et le prisonnier Le Figaro. 16 June 2010. French
  6. ↑ Free Hands The New Yorker. Retrieved on 16 April 2011
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