Francophile Friday: Tell No One

The Alliance Française library has been closed for the Easter holidays, so I've been doing less Francophone stuff than usual; I did get the BD On M'Appelle L'Avalanche from the library before it closed, but I haven't got round to reading it yet. However, on my French teacher's recommendation, I rented the thriller Ne Le Dis A Personne (Tell No One) from my local DVD club, and I can second her enthusiasm: it's a terrific film. Based on the novel by Harlen Coben about a widower who can't get over the murder of his wife, the film transfers the setting to France -- seamlessly; there wasn't a single moment when the story's American origins peeped through. But maybe that was just because I was on the edge of my seat for the whole thing: Tell No One is intensely gripping. Although it uses webcams and email as crucial plot elements, it doesn't feel gimmicky in the slightest. It's beautifully shot (I don't think I've ever seen a French film with bad cinematography, though presumably they do exist), the acting is terrific, there are some great realistic action scenes, and the plot twists and turns like a left-handed corkscrew, but still manages to conclude with a satisfying resolution that pulls all the threads together. Top-notch.