Shades of Doubt Movie Review

Deeply troubled teenagers were the focus of quite a number of the entries at 1995's Mill Valley Film Festival. Aline Issermann's Shades of Doubt accurately reflects the confusion a 12-year-old victim of incest experiences when she tries to bring the truth out into the open. Alexandrine's story begins in the most idyllic of settings: a family outing in beautiful surroundings. But the first of a series of brief encounters occurs with her father (off camera), and her life is forever changed. A sensitive teacher tries to help her come forward in order to stop the abuse, but Alexandrine buckles under family pressure, retracts her charges, and the abuse continues. When she runs away with her small brother, her family and the authorities finally listen to her. If Shades of Doubt had been a telefeature on American television, the issues would have been simplified with all battle lines clearly drawn. But this French-made drama gains its strength from the subtlety of Issermann's script and direction as well as from the strikingly colorless camera work by Darius Khondji. And the acting, especially by the young protagonist, is frighteningly real. AKA: L'Ombre du Doute; Shadow of a Doubt.

1993 105m/C FR Mireille Perrier, Alain Bashung, Sandrine Blancke, Emmanuelle Riva; D: Aline Issermann; W: Aline Issermann, Martine Fadier-Nisse, Frederique Gruyer; C: Darius Khondji; M: Reno Isaac.