Confidences trop intimes (2004)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Patrice Leconte

Writers:

Jérôme Tonnerre (scenario and dialogue) and
Jérôme Tonnerre (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 February 2004 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

She confused him for a therapist and told him her deepest secrets. Now, two people who never should have met are discovering there's nothing more seductive than the truth.

Plot:

A Frenchwoman tells her marital troubles to a man she mistakes for a psychiatrist, and soon they form an unusual relationship.

Plot Keywords:

Psychiatrist | Mistaken Identity | Sex Talk | Elevator | Tax

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Sandrine Bonnaire	...	Anna
Fabrice Luchini	...	William
Michel Duchaussoy	...	Dr. Monnier
Anne Brochet	...	Jeanne
Gilbert Melki	...	Marc
Laurent Gamelon	...	Luc
Hélène Surgère	...	Mrs. Mulon
Urbain Cancelier	...	Chatel
Isabelle Petit-Jacques	...	Dr. Monnier's Secretary
Véronique Kapoyan	...	Female Guard (as Véronique Kapoian)
Benoît Pétré	...	Messenger
Albert Simono	...	Mr. Michel (as Alberto Simono)
Claude Derepp	...	The Customs Client (as Claude Dereppe)
Aurore Auteuil	...	The Student Nabokov
Ludovic Berthillot	...	The Mover
Sabrina Brezzo	...	The Dance Assistant

Directed by
Patrice Leconte

Writing credits
Jérôme Tonnerre		scenario and dialogue and
Jérôme Tonnerre		adaptation &
Patrice Leconte		adaptation

Produced by
Christine Gozlan	....	executive producer
Alain Sarde	....	producer

Original Music by
Pascal Estève

Cinematography by
Eduardo Serra

Film Editing by
Joëlle Hache

Production Design by
Ivan Maussion

Costume Design by
Annie Périer		(as Annie Périer-Bertaux)

Makeup Department
Eric Benazet	....	additional hair stylist
Michèle Constantinides	....	key makeup artist (as Michelle Constantinides)
Isabelle de Araujo	....	key makeup artist
Patrick Girault	....	key hair stylist
Claire Vivet	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Yvon Crenn	....	production manager
Helene Glabeke	....	post-production supervisor
François Menny	....	unit manager
David Poirot-Gozlan	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hubert Engammare	....	assistant director
Elizabeth Marre	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Alain Bergé	....	painter
Maurice Borghese	....	additional carpenter (as Maurice Borghesi)
Xavier Buffin	....	painter
Tranquillo Cimenti	....	carpenter
Jacques Dalla-Mura	....	painter
Charles de Dainville	....	construction grip
Virginie Denis Roy	....	first assistant decorator (as Virginie Denis)
Christophe De Vos	....	construction grip
Yvan Dupont	....	painter
Philippe Durand	....	carpenter
Jacky Frankiel	....	additional painter
Madjid Hamzaoui	....	carpenter
Jacky Hardouin	....	carpenter
Jacques Kazandian	....	plasterer (as Jacques Kazandjian)
Jean Labille	....	metal worker
Jérôme Larivière	....	carpenter
Pierre Mery	....	construction grip
Victor Piazza	....	head painter
Enrico Pittiglio	....	additional painter
Nicolas Raffy	....	property master
Didier Royer	....	carpenter
Patrick Tombette	....	construction grip
Annie Vandevandele	....	painter
Patrick Veron	....	construction manager
Gerard Wehrle	....	additional carpenter

Sound Department
Annabel Acquaviva	....	sound assistant
Hervé Bénard	....	sound recordist
Frédéric Cattoni	....	sound consultant: DTS
Pascal Chauvin	....	foley artist
Isabelle Filippi	....	assistant post-synchronization
Michel Filippi	....	adr supervisor
Jean Goudier	....	sound
Eric Grattepain	....	foley artist
Dominique Hennequin	....	sound
Paul Lainé	....	sound
Jean-Louis Lebras	....	boom operator (as Jean-Louis Le Bras)
Alexis Leverve	....	sound recordist
Didier Lizé	....	sound engineer
Gilles Missir	....	foley engineer
Michel Monnier	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (as Michel Monier)
Christophe Vingtrinier	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Gary Pieri	....	special effects
Michel Vialla	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Benjamin Ageorges	....	digital compositor
Stephane Bidault	....	digital effects supervisor
Christophe Chanvin	....	artistic director
Jean-Antoine Lacolle	....	digital compositor
Christophe Lucotte	....	assistant color timer
Mitch Paulson	....	digital preview colorist
Matthias Weber	....	visual effects producer

Camera and Electrical Department
Claude Atanassian	....	gaffer
Jean Atanassian	....	electrician
Michel Atanassian	....	electrician
Rene Basso	....	additional grip (as René Basso)
Florent Bazin	....	first assistant camera
Bruno Boban	....	additional grip
Catherine Cabrol	....	still photographer
Stéphane Cry	....	additional electrician
Guillaume Dreujou	....	assistant camera
Patrice Leconte	....	camera operator
Margot Lestage	....	second assistant camera
Axel-Charles Messange	....	video operator
Martial Negre	....	additional electrician
Marc Nove	....	additional electrician
Didier Petit	....	additional electrician
Denis Scozzesi	....	key grip
Jean-Pierre Supe	....	assistant camera
Paul Triboulet	....	grip

Casting Department
Catherine Deserbais	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sandrine Bernard	....	costume supervisor
Hélène Cassard	....	additional costumer
Anne-Marie Castaño-Padovan	....	wardrober
Sandrine Kerner	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Fanchon Brûlé	....	trailer editor
Richard Deusy	....	digital color grader: Scan Lab
Christian Dutac	....	color timer
Anne-Marie Etcheverry	....	negative cutter
Emilie Monod	....	assistant editor
Nicole Souchal	....	post-production assistant
Sylvie Van der Vorm	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Edouard Dubois	....	music consultant
Pascal Estève	....	orchestrator
Valérie Lindon	....	music supervisor
Guillaume Tell	....	score recordist
Bernard Wystraete	....	conductor

Other crew
Tony Arnoux	....	press attache
Tahar Boualam	....	groupman
Jean-René Coulon	....	location manager
Laure Darie	....	production secretary
Yves Derhi	....	groupman
Sarah Fouquet	....	still graphics
Patrick Lemaire	....	groupman
Maggie Perlado	....	script supervisor
Annick Reipert	....	script supervisor trainee
André-Paul Ricci	....	press attache
Gisèle Vuillaume	....	production administrator

Production Companies

• Les Films Alain Sarde
• France 3 Cinéma
• Zoulou Films
• Assise Productions

Distributors

• Mars Distribution (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Arsenal (2004-2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Cinema Mondo (2004) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Lucky Red (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Paramount Classics (2004) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Wise Policy (2006) (Japan) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2004) (Netherlands)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Orlando Films
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2005) (Argentina) (all media)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Wise Policy (2006) (Japan) (all media)

Special Effects

• AutreChose

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Louma Systems  crane
• Microfilms  titles
• Panavision Alga  camera equipment
• S.I.S.  sound editing
• Transpalux  electrical equipment

Also Known As:

Intimate Strangers (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual dialogue.

Runtime:

France:104 min | USA:104 min | Argentina:105 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Spain:18 | Hungary:14 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Norway:A | South Korea:15 | Brazil:16 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Les Films Alain Sarde

Movie Connections:

References Le mari de la coiffeuse (1990)

Soundtrack:

In The Midnight Hour

A case of mistaken identity crisis

The gimmick in "Intimate Strangers" is that a young woman, Anna Delambre (Sandrine Bonnaire), mistakenly enters the office of a tax consultant, William Faber (Fabrice Luchini), instead of a psychoanalyst, and tells him her most intimate secrets. The question then arises: Did she make an honest mistake, or is the whole thing a setup? Which of the two is the doctor, and which is the patient? Is she telling the truth, or is she a pathological liar? And why does he maintain the illusion instead of calling her bluff?

"Intimate Strangers" works well as a psychological thriller, an elaborate cat-and-mouse game. But it is also a meditation on loneliness and the lengths to which we are willing to go to overcome it ... or not. In other words, do we allow ourselves to be intimate with each other, or do we remain strangers walled in our fortresses of solitude?

Fabrice Luchini's character epitomizes the latter type of person. He leads a solitary and uneventful life, is obsessive-compulsively neat (he uses shoe trees, for heaven's sake), is unable to keep his on-and-off girlfriend happy, and voyeuristically observes the quiet joys and turbulent passions of his neighbors across the way. (Shades of "Rear Window".) Other minor characters exhibit similar tics: his secretary admits to watching rubbish on television while gorging herself on potato chips, and the doorkeeper of the office building spends all her time watching an idiotic soap opera.

Sandrine Bonnaire is, as always, a lovely, delicate vision. She succeeds in conveying the mystery and intrigue of her character, and yet makes Anna wholly believable.

Unfortunately, Fabrice Luchini does not lend the same degree of realism and reality to William. He is too stereotypically anal-retentive and full of hangups, and we never see William as more than two-dimensional. He remains basically the same, unchanged, even by the closing credits. In short, we never get to know him intimately. He begins and ends the film as simply strange.