La Maison du Canal

 (2003)

by Tuna

The House by the Canal is a made-for-Belgian-TV drama starring Isild Le Besco. She plays Edmee, a 16-year old girl suddenly orphaned when her father dies. She moves to the boonies to live with her uncle on his farm, but when she arrives, he too is dying. His oldest son, who shared his father's passion for prostitutes, becomes the man of the house, determined to make sure Edmee knows her place. His younger brother, a hunchback, is fond of Edmee.

Up to this point, I thought I understood the plot: Edmee wasn't happy in the sticks, she resented her older cousin trying to control her, and sought refuge with the dim-witted hunchback.

Then the plot got going in earnest, and I no longer had a grasp of what the film was trying for. What follows will be complete spoilers.

SPOILER ALERT

Edmee does the deed with her obnoxious cousin on a wood pile. Voluntarily? Who knows. If someone told me is was rape, or it was her idea, I would believe either story. Then a little kid jumps out and makes fun of them. The cousin kills the kid accidentally, whereupon he and the hunchback bury the kid. Edmee responds by getting tuberculosis, which leads her into a meeting with a rich uncle who is even a bigger whoremonger than her obnoxious cousin. Then she agrees to marry her obnoxious cousin, but asks the hunchback to strangle her on her wedding day.

He, of course, lovingly obliges.

END SPOILER

I find myself drawn in by Isild Le Besco, with her pouty mouth and "me first" attitude. She has a lovely body, and has shown a willingness to share it, but even given nudity from a favorite, this film has no fascination for me. There was probably a point to it, but somehow it didn't survive the translation to subtitles.

 Our Grade:

If you are not familiar with our grading system, you need to read the explanation, because the grading is not linear. For example, by our definition, a C is solid and a C+ is a VERY good movie. There are very few Bs and As. Based on our descriptive system, this film is a very low

C-

Perhaps less, if it is equally opaque in French.

DVD INFO

* widescreen anamorphic

* Region 2 import

 

 

 

 

 

THE CRITICS AND ACADEMIES

There are no English-language reviews.

THE PEOPLE

   
6.0 IMDB summary (of 10)

THE BOX OFFICE

Unknown.

NUDITY REPORT

  • Isild LeBesco shows her breast in several scenes, and her bum once, all in clear light.

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