Sweet Evil

Colour, 35 mm
France, 2009, 90 min
IP – International premiere
Section: Official Selection - Competition

Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Céline knows more about life than is appropriate for her age. She wanders the streets, surviving, with the help of her boyfriend Romain, thanks to her defiance and ruthless practicality. She secretly sleeps in the garden house of a luxury villa, where one evening she is discovered by the owner, Judge Henri van Eyck. Despite his wife Nathalie’s reticence, he takes the girl in and Céline gradually gains their goodwill and affection. The fragile balance of their mutual trust, however, comes in serious jeopardy when the web of lies the girl has told her protectors begins to unravel, revealing her real motives.... Debut director Olivier Coussemacq chose the psychological thriller genre in order to challenge the viewer’s expected moral positions. Gradually it becomes more and more difficult to judge the main character, and the line between offender and victim blurs.

About the director

Olivier Coussemacq started out as an assistant director. His first independent directorial attempt came in 1991 with an hour-long documentary about French prisoners, Paroles en liberté surveillée. Following three short films (Pas perdus, 1996, Le larbin, 2000, La concierge est dans l’ascenseur, 2001), he achieved success writing the thriller Traquée (2002, dir. by Steve Suissa), which prompted him to devote himself more fully to screenwriting (Le désert de la mémoire, Corps etrangers). Sweet Evil is his feature debut.