Vinyan

Vinyan marks director Fabrice Du Welz’s follow-up to the visually audacious yet thoroughly dull Calvaire, and while the movie does suffer from precisely the same sort of pacing issues that plagued its predecessor, it’s ultimately impossible to deny the effectiveness of the astonishingly grim atmosphere. The film casts Rufus Sewell and Emmanuelle Béart as Paul and Jeanne, a well-to-do couple whose young son disappeared during the infamous Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. One night at a party, however, Jeanne is convinced that she sees her boy on a video shot within the jungles of Burma – which sets into motion a perilous journey that’ll eventually take the pair deep into the heart of Burma’s harsh terrain. Du Welz, along with cinematographer Benoît Debie, has infused Vinyan with a palpable sense of style that generally proves effective in holding one’s interest even through the film’s more overtly pointless interludes, as the mystery at the heart of the story (ie the fate of Paul and Jeanne’s kid) can only carry the proceedings so far. The moody and atmospheric vibe is undoubtedly heightened by the superb work of the two stars, with Sewell especially good as a man who wants to believe his son is still alive but realizes the chances are awfully slim. The sluggish midsection does prove a test to one’s continuing interest, yet there reaches a very specific point (ie a magnificent overhead shot of Paul and Jeanne entering creepy ruins) at which one is instantly sucked back into the story. The final half hour redeems everything that came before it, as it’s unflinching and dark in ways that one might not have initially expected.

**1/2 out of ****