The Assistant

French directing duo Christophe Ali and Nicolas Bonilauri are back with a new movie after an absence of ten years from our screens. For their return they have chosen a wonderfully tense and stylized European thriller about a grieving mother exacting revenge for the death of her teenage son, Sebastian, who was killed in a car accident nine years previously.

Marie France (a completely brilliant Nathalie Baye) finagles her way into a job as the secretary to architect Thomas Lemans (Malik Zidi), who had been driving his wife to hospital that night to give birth to their son, Leo, when their car struck Sebastian. Thomas's marriage is now on the rocks. He and his wife live separately, and they share custody of their son. Marie France knows all this far too well, as she has installed herself in an apartment across the street from where Thomas and Leo live.

Thomas initially resents the presence of his new employee, as she very quickly improves the efficient running of his office, which attracts a great deal of notice from others, including the Company boss. She also manages to contrive her way into becoming Leo's babysitter when Thomas needs to work late. Now with his defenses down, and with no clue whatsoever as to her true identity, Thomas includes Marie France into the occasional family gathering. Whilst estranged wife Audrey (Sabrina Seyvecou) doesn't take to the newcomer at all, Thomas's widowed father Eric (Johan Leysen) does, and after a very short time he actually marries Marie France.

Now all the elements are in place for Marie France to get some retribution from the family that destroyed hers.

The buildup to this part is chilling and unsettling, thanks mainly to Baye's excellent performance as the icily manipulative and determined Marie France. Sadly, however, Ali and Bonilauri opt for a rather safe and somewhat predictable end, which is a tad disappointing. Nevertheless, Baye's turn as the crazy granny is worth the price of admission by itself, as are so many other things about the film.