Cinematography:
Simon RocaCast:
Virginie Ledoyen, Sandrine Bonnaire, Paul Hamy, Malik Zidi, Francis Renaud, Lya Oussadit-Lessert, Chloé Coulloud, Christophe Favre, Emmanuel Bonami (more)Plots(1)
The opening images set a brooding tone: a man on foot, gazing at dark, scarcely inhabited mountains. He’s about to investigate a string of child disappearances and will soon cross paths with a woman looking into murders in the same, intensely secretive village. These intertwined cases keep turning up references to a horrific local legend, the supernatural “soul eater”. But wasn’t this just a myth parents used to scare the young? Co-directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo have a knack for mixing diverse sub-genres within the horror, thriller and fantastique realms. Here, adapting a popular novel by Alexis Laipsker, they skilfully manipulate a classic hesitation between differing interpretations of the unfolding, gruesome events: the result of psychosis or demonic possession? The situation gets even more complicated when references to drugs and Internet pornography surface… Shot in the Vosges in Northeastern France – allowing an abandoned building, once a sanatorium, to play a major part – The Soul Eater plunges us into an oppressive atmosphere and explores all its implications. The casting is especially diverting: Paul Hamy, well known for his work with F.J. Ossang and João Pedro Rodrigues, shares the screen with Virginie Ledoyen and Sandrine Bonnaire. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)
(more)Cast
Virginie Ledoyen
France
Best movies:
Les Misérables (2000) (series)
La Cérémonie (1995)
8 Women (2002)
Sandrine Bonnaire
France
Best movies:
East/West (1999)
Happening (2021)
La Cérémonie (1995)
Paul Hamy
Best movies:
My King (2015)
Suzanne (2013)
Despite the Night (2015)
Malik Zidi
France
Best movies:
Mysteries of Lisbon (2010)
Geliebte Clara (2008)
Rebellion (2011)
Francis Renaud
France
Best movies:
36th Precinct (2004)
A Gang Story (2011)
The Last Deadly Mission (2008)
Lya Oussadit-Lessert
Best movies:
Paul W.R.'s Last Journey (2020)
Chloé Coulloud
Best movies:
Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010)
Neuilly Yo Mama! (2009)
Nicolas Le Floch (2008) (series)
Christophe Favre
Best movies:
Alice (2019)
The Brave Judge (2018) (TV movie)
Carbon (2017)
Emmanuel Bonami
Best movies:
Dealer (2004)
Coup de chance (2023)
Infested (2023)
Elisabeth Duda
France
Best movies:
Run Boy Run (2013)
La Belle Epoque (2019)
Black Sheep (2021)
Oliver Bodart
Best movies:
Girl (2018)
Antoine Levannier
Best movies:
Corporate (2017)
Two Tickets to Greece (2022)
The Heroics (2021)
Stéphane Dausse
Best movies:
The Female Executioner (1986)
Taxi 4 (2007)
Passport to Paris (1999)