Some of the
relevance in the true-crime narrative of In
the Name of My Daughter may be lost on those who have not followed the
ongoing French murder case, which returned to the courts even as the film was
being completed. This may have made this a hard sell for international
audiences, but it was lack of excitement and relatable characters which caused
this movie to fail for me as entertainment, far more than relevance. Filmmaker
André Téchiné does his best to theorize answers to the mystery and fleshes out
the characters involved with this process, but the result is as unsatisfying as
it is unsavory.
Based on a
missing person case ripped from the headlines, In the Name of My Daughter spends most of the running time just
setting up the situation which led to the disappearance. This sets up numerous
strands of the narrative which become somewhat irrelevant by the time we jump
forward 20 years to the actual court case, despite being far more interesting
than what we are left with. When Agnés Le Roux (Adéle Haenel) returns home to
the South of France after her divorce, she distances herself from her mother’s
thriving casino business to open a small bookstore instead. Renée (Catherine
Deneuve) is struggling to keep the Palais de la Mediterranée casino from the
mafia and her competition, and looks to her shareholder daughter’s vote to
retain control.
All of this sets
up the scenario, but the real focus of the film is the relationship Agnés
develops with a lawyer working as an advisor for her mother. Maurice Agnelet
(Guillaume Canet) appears non-threatening and trustworthy, though his mistress
warns Agnés that he is not trustworthy. Even the knowledge that Maurice intends
to openly date other women, Agnés becomes enamored and eventually falls in
love. This portion of the narrative might simply result in a sad tale of
heartbreak if it weren’t for the added elements of money. Knowing how valuable
her voting shares are for Renée’s casino, Maurice manipulates Agnés in a way
that ensured he was the prime suspect upon her disappearance.
Perhaps the
largest cause for inability to enjoy In
the Name of My Daughter came from the fact that I am not French; not only
did the true story lack any relevance for me, it has a tone which is far more
casual than I imagine most American directors would have used to approach the
material. Even in Téchiné’s choice to use the facts as a loose starting point,
there is no urgency behind the mystery at the center of the film. Whatever he
decided was necessary to insert, it was not suspense.
The Blu-ray
release includes a Q&A with Guillaume Canet and the film’s theatrical
trailer. The film itself is picturesque enough to take advantage of the high
definition presentation, though this is primarily due to the Nice setting.
Entertainment Value:
3.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
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