Si j'étais toi (2007)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Vincent Perez

Writers (WGA):

Ann Cherkis (screenplay)
Hiroshi Saitô (1999 screenplay Himitsu)
(more)

Release Date:

10 October 2007 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A wife and mother passes away, and spirit returns in her daughter's body.

Plot Keywords:

Cemetery | Remake | Reanimation | Supernatural | New Life

Cast

David Duchovny	...	Dr. Benjamin Marris
Lili Taylor	...	Hannah Marris
Olivia Thirlby	...	Samantha Marris
Brendan Sexton III	...	Ethan
Jane Wheeler	...	Maggie Adams
Millie Tresierra	...	Lindsay Porter
Trisha LaFache	...	Taylor
Ashley Springer	...	Ian Mackenzie
Laurence Leboeuf	...	Amelia
Nicole Braber	...	Female Patient
Trent Pardy	...	Ski Shop Salesman
Vito Tassielli	...	Dr. Ford - ICU Dcctor
Babs Chula	...	Psychiatrist (as Babz Chula)
Joanna Noyes	...	Elizabeth - Hannah's Mother
Jay Brazeau	...	Sullivan
Peter MacNeill	...	Dr. Christopher Bray
Macha Grenon	...	Tara Corbett
Bill Rowat	...	Teacher
Corey Sevier	...	Justin
Catherine Colvey	...	English Teacher
Bruce Ramsay	...	Daniel Harpin
Susan Glover	...	Condescending Woman
Linda Plamondon	...	Condescending Woman #2
Andrea Sadler	...	Condescending Woman #3
Dawn Ford	...	ICU nurse #1
Mariah Inger	...	ICU Nurse #2
Suzanna Lenir	...	ICU Nurse #3 (as Suzanna Le Nir)
Russell Yuen	...	ICU Doctor #2
Allan Yuk-lun Chou	...	ICU Doctor #3 (as Allan Chou)
Renee Madeline Le Guerrier	...	Hospital Receptionist (as Renée Madeleine Le Guerrier)
Lois Dellar	...	Aunt
Nick Kellis	...	Man Mourner (as Nick Kallis)
Ryan Tilson	...	Elizabeth's son - Boy Mourner
Kathleen Mackey	...	Goth Librarian
Tristan D. Lalla	...	Fubu Boy
Steven Crowder	...	Classroom Boy
Robert Higden	...	Waiter
Lynne Adams	...	Resto Woman
Lucinda Davis	...	Paige - Ben's Assistant
Una Kay	...	Neighbor Wife
Mel Downey	...	Neighbor Husband
Cory Fantie	...	Patient #2
Bruce McKenzie	...	Patient #3
Abeille Gélinas	...	Girl with Justin (as Abeille Gelinas)
Dale Stuart Skinner	...	Priest (as Dale Skinner)
Carl Crevier	...	Lindsay's Husband
Henryk Vsakowski	...	Maggie's Husband (as Henry Usakowski)
Li Li	...	Student
Frank Fontaine	...	Ned - Hannah's Father
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brandon Blue	...	Taylor's boyfriend (uncredited)
Jessica Kardos	...	Goth student (uncredited)

Directed by
Vincent Perez

Writing credits (WGA)
Ann Cherkis		(screenplay)
Hiroshi Saitô		(1999 screenplay Himitsu)
Keigo Higashino		(novel)

Produced by
Luc Besson	....	executive producer
Luc Besson	....	producer
Roger Frappier	....	associate producer
Nicole Hilaréguy	....	supervising producer
India Osborne	....	associate producer
India Osborne	....	producer
Vincent Perez	....	producer
Mehdi Sayah	....	assistant producer
Virginie Silla	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Nathaniel Mechaly

Cinematography by
Paul Sarossy

Film Editing by
Yves Beloniak

Casting by
Kerry Barden
Billy Hopkins
Paul Schnee
Suzanne Smith		(as Suzanne Crowley)

Production Design by
Serge Bureau

Art Direction by
Alessandro Marvelli

Set Decoration by
Josée Arsenault
Louise Pilon		(head decorator)
Louise Tremblay

Costume Design by
François Barbeau

Makeup Department
Chantal Bergeron	....	hair stylist
Kathryn Casault	....	key makeup artist
Linda Gordon	....	key hair stylist
Daniel Jacob	....	hair stylist
Alex Lambert	....	makeup artist (as Sonia Alex Lambert)

Production Management
Pierre Allard	....	production manager
Eric Bassoff	....	post-production supervisor
Laurent Communaux	....	unit manager
Danny Turgeon	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alexandre Bernard	....	additional third assistant director
Anissa Harvey	....	third assistant director
Eric Parenteau	....	first assistant director
Lucie Pelletier	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Frédéric Amblard	....	set designer
Alain Brochu	....	head carpenter
Charles Dugas	....	assistant property master
Charles Dugas	....	assistant set props
Odette Gauvreau	....	head painter
Thierry Labrosse	....	storyboard artist
Martine Mongrain	....	art department coordinator
André Ratelle	....	property master
Anouk Saint-Amand	....	prop buyer
André Valade	....	property master
Tim Winchester	....	assistant props

Sound Department
Vincent Arnardi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Adrien Arnaud	....	foley editor
Thomas Bernard	....	sound recordist
Christophe Bourreau	....	foley artist
Gilles Corbeil	....	sound recordist
Mark DeSimone	....	adr mixer: New York
Peter Gleaves	....	adr mixer
François Guérin	....	boom operator
Alexandre Hernandez	....	sound editor
Christophe Leroy	....	supervising sound editor
Yann Vernier	....	assistant foley artist

Special Effects by
Louis Craig	....	special effects supervisor
Mario Dumont	....	special effects floor supervisor
Pierre 'Bill' Rivard	....	special effects coordinator (as Bill Rivard)

Visual Effects by
Alain Carsoux	....	visual effects director
Alain Carsoux	....	visual effects supervisor
Nicolas Daniel	....	video operator: Duboi
Séverine De Wever	....	visual effects coordinator
Abdel Ali Kassou	....	technical manager
Benoit Philippon	....	digital effects artist
Rossi Sébastien	....	visual effects
Edouard Valton	....	visual effects producer

Stunts
Alexandre Cadieux	....	stunt driver
Stéphane Lefebvre	....	stunt coordinator
Michael Scherer	....	stunt driver (as Michael Sherer)

Camera and Electrical Department
Caroline Béliveau	....	second assistant camera: 'b' camera
Jean-Philippe Bernier	....	video assist operator
Mario Brabant	....	grip
Mathieu Décary	....	first assistant camera
Jean-Maurice de Ernsted	....	key grip
Pierre Dury	....	still photographer
Gilles Fortier	....	key rigging gaffer
Eames Gagnon	....	gaffer
Laurent Alexis Guertin	....	loader
Sylvain Jouvet	....	lighting technician
Constant Lavallée	....	lighting technician
Christian Lemay	....	first assistant camera: 'b' camera
Marion Mailhot	....	grip
Alexandre Marien	....	electrician
Frederic Milot	....	grip
Denis-Noel Mostert	....	steadicam operator
Patrick Rainville	....	best boy
David Reinhard	....	daily second assistant camera
Roger Robichaud	....	lighting technician
Alain Rousseau	....	second assistant camera
Réal Saulnier	....	generator operator
Daniel Sauvé	....	Steadicam operator
Kelsey Smith	....	Steadicam operator

Casting Department
Andrea Kenyon	....	casting: Canada
Shawn Roberts	....	casting assistant: Canada
Randi Wells	....	casting: Canada (as Randy Wells)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Heloise Audy	....	dresser
Marie Bellemare	....	dresser
Micheline Cossette	....	costume assistant
Audy Heloise	....	dresser
Lyse Pomerleau	....	costume supervisor
Lyse Pomerleau	....	wardrobe coordinator
Renée Tremblay	....	key dresser

Editorial Department
Guerric Catala	....	assistant editor
Mickael Dumontier	....	assistant editor
Jean Durand	....	grader
Clara Vincienne	....	post-production coordinator
Sidonie Waserman	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
John Bell	....	orchestrator
Lohengrin Braconnier	....	assistant music mixer
Frank Gali	....	conductor
Jérôme Lateur	....	music supervisor
Vincent Lebegue	....	music legal coordinator
Didier Lozahic	....	music recorder
Elise Luguern	....	music production supervisor
Alexandre Mahout	....	assistant music supervisor
Nathaniel Mechaly	....	music arranger
Nathaniel Mechaly	....	orchestrator
Samuel Potin	....	score mixer
Mehdi Sayah	....	assistant music supervisor

Transportation Department
Richard Chabot	....	driver
Yannick Champagne	....	driver: cast
Marco Gregoire	....	driver
Daniel Langlois	....	unit transportation coordinator

Other crew
Valérie Binette	....	production assistant
Steeve Bouchard	....	production accountant
Sylvie Champagne	....	production administrator
Roland Chaput	....	craft service
Jean-Philippe Collin	....	stand-in: David Duchovny
Marie-Christine D'Amours	....	production coordinator
André Déry	....	production assistant
Catherine Gagnon	....	production assistant
Diane Janna	....	assistant location manager
Melanie Lessard	....	assistant location manager
Sylvie Martin	....	production coordinator
Pierre Massé	....	location manager
Louise Theriault	....	continuity
Annette Woloshen	....	photo double
Annette Woloshen	....	stand-in

Production Companies

• Europa Corp.

Distributors

• EuropaCorp. Distribution (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)

Special Effects

• Intrigue

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Studio Digital Factory  mixing facility
• Studio Digital Factory  strings recording facility)

Also Known As:

The Secret (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language including sexual references, and drug and alcohol use involving teens.

Runtime:

USA:92 min (DVD version)

Country:

France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1) | Dolby Digital (Dolby 2.0)

Certification:

South Korea:15 | USA:R | Singapore:M18 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Europa Corp.

Quotes:

Samantha Marris: You've got a 36 year old wife in the perfect body of a 16 year old. I'm every man's wet dream.

Movie Connections:

References "Desperate Housewives" (2004)

Way too good to be direct-to-video. Olivia Thirlby in particular is outstanding.

A direct-to-video release in the United States, this French directed film stars Americans and is a remake of a Japanese film called Himitsu. Although the film deals with the supernatural, it is not a J-horror remake. In fact, it's quite a touching and intelligent movie. I think the reason it was never released over here is because it is an intelligent film. The attempts to market it as a thriller, from the title and the video cover, probably wouldn't have worked if it had been released normally. David Duchovny stars as an optometrist whose wife and daughter (Lili Taylor and Olivia Thirlby) get into a serious car accident at the open of the film. His wife passes away in the emergency room, but his daughter survives. As soon as she wakes up, however, she claims not to be the daughter, but the wife trapped in her daughter's body. Smartly, the film doesn't spend too much time with Thirbly's attempts to convince Duchovny – the evidence is overwhelming. The film spends most of its time with the difficulties the peculiar situation raises, especially between the married couple. The two also find evidence, when Thirlby talks in her sleep, that the daughter is still somewhere inside her. They expect she may come back to them one day, but then the wife's personality will disappear. The film is far from perfect. Its best in the small scenes, and worst when director Perez is trying to create set-pieces. You can see the cheapness especially in the emergency room sequence – it looks nothing like an emergency room. The real news here is Olivia Thirlby's performance – her first, if we are to believe the opening credits. And proud this film should be to introduce her – it was obvious enough even in a mediocre film like Juno that Olivia Thirlby was going to be a star. Of the four films I've seen her in so far, this is the best proof that she's a keeper. She plays two different characters, one over twice her own age. The role requires a tour de force performance, and Thirlby delivers one effortlessly.