The Line
Theatrical release poster
FrenchLa Ligne
Directed byUrsula Meier
Screenplay by
  • Ursula Meier
  • Stéphanie Blanchoud
  • Antoine Jacoud
  • Robin Campillo (collaboration)
  • Nathalie Najem (collaboration)
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAgnès Godard
Edited byNelly Quettier
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byDiaphana Distribution
Release dates
  • 11 February 2022 (2022-02-11) (Berlin)
  • 11 January 2023 (2023-01-11) (France)
Running time
101 minutes
Countries
  • Switzerland
  • France
  • Belgium
LanguageFrench

The Line (French: La Ligne) is a 2022 drama film directed by Ursula Meier. It is a co-production between Switzerland, France and Belgium. The film explores a turbulent mother–daughter relationship and stars Stéphanie Blanchoud and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. It had its world premiere on 11 February 2022 at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear.

Premise

After a violent argument with her mother, Margaret is subject to a restraining order before her trial: she is no longer allowed to make contact with her mother or approach within 100 metres of the family home for three months. Her younger stepsister Marion paints a physical line into the grass around the family home to mark this boundary. Every day, Margaret appears at this 100-metre threshold to see Marion and give her music lessons.

Release

The film was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section of the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival,[1] where the film had its world premiere on 11 February 2022.[2] The film was released in France by Diaphana Distribution on 11 January 2023.[3]

Cast

Reception

The Line received an average rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars on the French website AlloCiné, based on 22 reviews.[4] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 63% based on 8 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10.[5] According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 62 out of 100 based on 4 critics, the film received "generally favorable reviews".[6]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film four out of five stars, praising the lead performances of Blanchoud and Bruni-Tedeschi.[7] Anna Smith of Deadline Hollywood called it an "arresting story of familial disharmony that's distinctive both visually and thematically."[8] The Hollywood Reporter's Jordan Mintzer praised the cast performance and direction, but lamented that the film "explores the tense and thorny nature of blood ties without ever delving into the psychology of it all, often leaving us in the dark as to why the characters behave the way they do."[9] Variety's Peter Debruge deemed Blanchoud's performance to be the foundation of the film's impactfulness and praised the film's "downright radical" narrative for "[rejecting] aggression as an acceptable means of resolving problems".[10]

Accolades

Awards and nominations for The Line
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Berlin Film Festival 20 February 2022 Golden Bear Ursula Meier Nominated [1]

References

  1. 1 2 Ramachandran, Naman (19 January 2022). "Berlin Selection Unveiled: Claire Denis, Hong Sangsoo, Rithy Panh, Dario Argento Head to Festival". Variety. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  2. ↑ "La ligne | The Line | Die Linie". www.berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ↑ "La Ligne". Diaphana Distribution (in French). Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  4. ↑ "Critiques Presse pour le film La Ligne". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "The Line". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "The Line Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  7. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (11 February 2022). "La Ligne (The Line) review – bruising family drama with likeable outcome". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  8. ↑ Smith, Anna (11 February 2022). "Berlin Review: Ursula Meier's 'The Line'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  9. ↑ Mintzer, Jordan (11 February 2022). "'The Line' ('La Ligne'): Film Review | Berlin 2022". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  10. ↑ Debruge, Peter (11 February 2022). "'The Line' Review: Ursula Meier Draws a Turbulent Mother-Daughter Relationship". Variety. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
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