Private Property

Colour, 35 mm
Belgium, France, 2006, 95 min
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

Pascale is long divorced and lives with her grown-up twin sons, Thierry and François, in a house left to them by her former husband. The boys are friendly towards him, which annoys the mother, and the tension in their relationship increases when she hints that she and their neighbour are thinking of starting up a B&B, and that they´ll have to sell the house to free up some money. The twins are incensed and will hear nothing of the sale. The atmosphere in the house thickens and the neurotic mother, determined to get her way, both deliberately and unwittingly sets the brothers against each other, which brings them to the brink of tragedy. The film lays bare the notion that the sons are unable to accept the responsibility of adulthood, but a critical eye is cast primarily on the mother. Isabelle Huppert gives a convincing performance in the role of the erratic and immature aging woman whose eternally girlish appearance only reinforces her selfish claim to her own happiness, even at the cost of betraying those closest to her.

About the director

Joachim Lafosse (b. 1975, Uccle, Belgium) studied psychology and social sciences, then film at L’IAD (L’Institut des arts de diffusion) in the years 1997-2001, and in 1997 he took a course in dramatic art at the Brussels Conservatoire. His career to date has involved work for the theatre, radio, television and film. He directs films and also writes screenplays. Apart from short documentaries and features, he has also made three feature films: Folie privée (2004, screened in the Czech Republic during the festival European Film Days in 2005), Ça rend hereux (2005) and, most recently, Private Property.