La Ceremonie

views updated

La Ceremonie ★★★ A Judgment in Stone 1995

Sullen maid Sophie (Bonnaire) is hired by the rich Lelievre family to work at their country estate. She's befriended by independent postmistress Jeanne (Huppert), who's disliked by Sophie's employers, and who encourages Sophie into small defiant actions. Something's off about the entire situation and there's violence beneath the seemingly calm surface. Based on Ruth Rendell's chiller “Judgment in Stone.” French with subtitles. 109m/C VHS, DVD . FR GE Sandrine Bonnaire, Isabelle Huppert, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Virginie Ledoyen, Valentine Merlet, Julien Rochefort, Dominique Frot, Jean-Francois Perrier; D: Claude Chabrol; W: Claude Chabrol, Caroline Eliacheff; C: Bernard Zitzermann; M: Matthieu Chabrol. Cesar '96: Actress (Huppert); L.A. Film Critics '96: Foreign Film; Natl. Soc. Film Critics '96: Foreign Film.