10½

10½ follows several child psychiatrists, including Claude Legault’s Gilles, as they attempt to break through the brittle exterior of a seriously ill-tempered young boy (Robert Naylor’s Tommy), with the film subsequently (and primarily) detailing the back and forth battle that ensues between Tommy and the increasingly exasperated social workers. Filmmaker Daniel Grou has infused 10½ with an admittedly authentic feel that’s reflected in Claude Lalonde’s spare screenplay, and it seems likely that the movie does capture the unpleasant reality of life within a halfway house for juvenile delinquents. But the jittery visuals and lack of plot ensure that 10½ becomes an unusually interminable experience virtually from the get-go, as Grou, in employing the style of a documentary, is simply unable (or unwilling) to develop any of these characters beyond their most superficial attributes – which effectively ensures that the viewer is left without a single figure worth rooting for or sympathizing with. This is especially true of Tommy himself; though Naylor delivers an impressively immersive performance, Tommy, for the most part, comes off as a hateful and downright reprehensible character that ultimately isn’t able to engender even a whiff of sympathy from the viewer. The aggressively repetitive structure (ie Gilles and his team attempt to reach Tommy, Tommy throws an epic tantrum, Gilles and his team try again, Tommy throws another tantrum, etc, etc) exacerbates the movie’s underwhelming atmosphere, and it finally goes without saying that 10½ is unlikely to hold much appeal for those without an inherent interest in social work and child care.

* out of ****