Review
Acclaimed director Gael Morel tackles the controversial topics of family, responsibility and love in his promising new film The Clan, which takes the viewer on an emotional journey with three young men in the shadows of the beautiful French Alps. The film’s primary cast is made up by three brothers from a working class family in France. The narrative is further divided into three acts which focus on each brother in turn as they each find themselves on a personal journey to escape the tragedy of their circumstances, and to find a place for themselves in the world.
The film opens with Marc, the middle brother – a passionate and sometimes violent character – who is trying to be the man of the house while his elder brother Christophe is serving time in prison. The second act focuses on Christophe as he tries to turn his life around after his release forcing him to come into conflict with his siblings. Finally the film focuses on Olivier the youngest of the three who is characterised as a shy young man dealing with the loss of his mother, and struggling with his own emerging sexual confusion.
As a story the film does very well to introduce us to the harshness of the cast’s life, and we do find ourselves empathising with their plight. Sadly however the decision to focus so much on each brother in turn causes the narration to become disjointed and sometimes confusing for a casual viewer. At being said the focus does manage to bring out a kind of passionate nuance to each brother and shows the audience the secret sides of themselves that they would not even show each other.
The imagery this movie present to the audience is truly stunning. From panoramic views of the mountains to intimate close-ups of the protagonists, each individual shot has been crafted to help the audience see this world through the eyes of each brother. It also makes the most of the natural beauty of each scene, including the beauty of the brothers themselves. The tone of the film shifts in each act, from the intense brutality of Marc’s hedonistic lifestyle, to Olivier’s yearning for freedom and his own burgeoning passion for family friend Hicham. This gives each segment a sense of individuality and presents this film as a triptych piece rather than a single film.
The narrative, though unique, is also a point of contention. The split between each part can come across as jarring, and causes a loss of overall cohesion. This is particularly evident near the conclusion where we see Marc on a quest for vengeance and having to wait for a long time before the film shows us what the consequences of his actions were. The imagery still manages to have a couple of sour notes in the overall composition, and every so often the viewer will be assaulted by a particularly brutal sight, or else confronted by an scene that seems to have no purpose to the rest of the overall story. When a film is as well made as ‘The Clan’, then points like this become more noticeable and leave the viewer wishing that there was more that could be push it on to the next level.
Taking the film as a whole into account, it is a well written and well acted piece of cinema – with some of the most impressive photography seen in film. There are some points that would make this a bit difficult for people unfamiliar with the genre to get into, but with that being said there is a lot that goes in The Clan’s favour, and would be a worthy film for anyone who wants to see a more organic tale of familial love and responsibility.
About the Author
