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THE PAGE TURNER Send This Review to a Friend
Denis Dercourt has written and directed “The Page Turner,” a wicked little film about retribution that was shown as part of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2007 series in New York and is now getting a commercial release.
Melanie, the daughter of a butcher, hopes to be on track for a career as a pianist. But when she tries out for an important place at a conservatory, Ariane Fouchècourt, the chairwoman of the jury is distracted, and by ignoring her throws Melanie off her stride. When she doesn’t get in, she gives up playing.
Ten years later Melanie meets the woman’s husband, who hires her to look after their son, and she also becomes Fouchècourt’s page turner at her piano concerts. Slowly Melanie builds her scheme of revenge upon the woman who hasn’t a clue as to what she did originally or what is being prepared for her now. The casting is excellent, with Dèborah Francois playing the vengeful Melanie with dead-pan subtlety, Catherine Frot as the target, and Pascal Greggory as the husband.
Dercourt keeps tight control over the material, and there ultimately is enough tension to keep us involved. The film ends without spelling out exactly what he future will bring, but we have been given enough evidence to draw our own conclusions. A Tartan Films release.
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