Tockinit not horrible nor great

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

MartinHafer This was a very frustrating picture to watch--partially because it seemed as if those who created it didn't consider how difficult it would be for the audience to follow the strange non-linear plot and partially because the characters are so poorly developed. Instead of the normal style of film making, ALICE ET MARTIN is told in a way that hops about from the past to the present again and again and sometimes with no apparent transition. While changing this perspective might have worked, the choppiness in connecting these segments was frustrating and at first I thought the reels had been mixed up in the wrong order! Also, many of the characters seem as if important parts of their development had been unfortunately omitted. For example, Julia Ormond ('Alice') initially dislikes Martin. Then, when they start to have a torrid affair, it almost seemed to come from no where. Then, only a short time later in the film, Martin is falling apart emotionally and treats Alice rather coldly and cruelly. You'd expect a normal person to leave, but then Alice invests her entire being in unfolding the mystery of Martin's life--at great trouble and expense to herself! Plus, how did she get from living in Spain with Martin with not even a Euro in the bank and then a scene later she's in France and no mention is made of how she got there or how much time had elapsed? Often, by the way, scenes jumped as much as a year but it was hard to know this was happening.This choppiness is a real shame, because if the film had been well edited, the characters more fully defined and the story told in a more comprehensible fashion, then it would have been a wonderful film. The basic plot involving the cold father and Martin was brilliant but got lost in the mess that was the film. The bottom line is that all the parts of the film never really worked together and the film should have been significantly better. I would love a remake--one that explores the relationship between the father and son as well as how the rest of the family is really part of the problem because they live in denial about the father--he was an evil and overbearing ogre, not the "great man" they claim he was.

valadas It's not exactly what we might call a bad movie but this story of the young illegitimate son who kills his father somewhat involuntarily during a fight and for that reason becomes neurotic since the fact was hushed up by the family to avoid a scandal, is rather weak and banal. The best part of the movie are the characters themselves and the acting of those who play the respective roles who do their best to make the story more impressive than it is in itself and not to appear as too stereotyped themselves. Special prominence must be given to the great Juliette Binoche who plays her role in a wonderful way. Her extremely attractive face, the gentleness of her expressions and the strength of her acting are unforgettable. The cut doesn't help either since its rhythm is also banal and uninteresting. The flash-back introduced in the middle does nothing to add anything valuable to the movie in terms of form and style. Its story could be told in the normal chronological sequence maybe with advantage. But to see Juliette Binoche in one of her best performances it's perhaps worth to go and see this movie.

guyb I've been a huge fan of Binoche and make a point to see everything she does. I guess it was only a matter of time before I ran into a bad movie with her in it and this is the first one. Very boring. I think she tried, but the rest of the characters never really got my attention or heart. Zero chemistry between her character and Martin. Go see "Lovers On the Bridge" instead.

stribog77 In her review of 'Alice et Martin' in Cinopsis, Marina Bergamelli states that the reason why Techine made this film remains obscure.For those people who understand and know that such emotional worlds exist, it is a cathartic masterpiece of great value.It takes courage to make a feature film of this nature and am grateful to the people who undertook such an artistic endeavour.Film would be dead without them.Julian Flynn