Steve Skafte The thing about a film like "Olivier, Olivier" is how cold and distant the characters are directly influences the warmth of the film itself. This is a very distant, harsh story at times, filled with characters constantly at odds with one another. No one has a healthy, balanced relationship. Unlike Agnieszka Holland's next film, "The Secret Garden", the underlying beauties are greatly crushed beneath the weight of ugly attitudes. There's no redemption to be found, only emotional pain. That does not make this a bad film, only an exceedingly difficult one.Love is always an illusion in "Olivier, Olivier". The only time it is at all real is in the early scenes of Nadine's and Olivier's childhood. From there on, guilt and possessiveness take over. In a frighteningly powerful way, everyone is, in turn, exposed for each of their darkest sides. The acting is great, there's no denying that. But it's far too narrowly focused. The cinematography is nice, but given virtually no breathing room. Scene after scene is the intense focus of faces and mid-range close-ups. Sometimes it feels like we never really get to see what's going on around these people. Then again, neither do they. Their world is excessively insular, incestuous, sealed in and circular.There's a strange turn of events toward the last third of the film. A spiritual aspect is introduced briefly that has little forewarning and less explanation. I wouldn't normally be opposed to this inclusion, save for the fact that it has no real context or purpose in a straightforward drama. It feels ill-conceived and quite unbelievable.In the end, most of the original questions are answered. Anyone who was watching could quite easily have pieced it together, but it is somewhat gratifying to see it resolved. A lot of people have praised this film as a stunning achievement. In a few ways, this can be true. But at the heart of "Olivier, Olivier", you are left with a somewhat dull, incompletely realized film. There are depths, both visual and emotional, that Agnieszka Holland doesn't nearly reach. It is a genuinely good film - but quite far away from being an excellent one.

Joseph P. Ulibas Olivier, Olivier (1992) was an interesting dramatic crime thriller from film maker Agnieszka Holland. I was impressed with her last film Europa Europa. So when I heard that she directed this movie, I went out and rented a copy. I was impressed by this story of a young boy who disappears. Several years later, an adolescent rapscallion is found who resembles the missing youth. Intrigued by this new found dilemma, he goes along with the charade and joins the family. Gradually, those around him realize that this teen is not the missing boy. It all comes to light when a local odd jobber admits to the molestation and murder of the boy. Not willing to shatter the mother's already fragile psyche. The kid plays along with his role as the long lost son and adapts his new role and family.Another impressive film from Ms. Holland. It was only a matter of time before she become a part of the Hollywood grind. A shame really because she made a handful of great films before being absorbed into the Hollywood studio system. French with English sub-titles.Highly recommended.

Akeller What the hell went on in this film? Okay, kid vanishes from weird family, family panics, they get weirder, dad flees to Africa. Then, after about six years, the kid comes back from Paris and reintroduces himself to the family. I have it up to here.Now, I am a fan of psychological movies. They appeal to me much more than movies that " blow stuff up " and I am considered an intelligent person. But the movie lost me after the first 45 minutes. What did the girl's power have to do with ANYTHING? Was he their real son or a fake? [ The movie offers symbolism but no actual CLUES that are good in a psychological movie. ] Does anyone care?Art in the name of intellectual advancement is good. Art in the name of " art " is pretentious and not deserving of film time.But the movie did one major good point - no dubbing, subtitles instead!

harry-76 Agnieszka Holland's "Olivier, Olivier" shares some things with Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo." Both are mysteries, both are suspenses, and both have deceptive scripts. In truly great mysteries, no matter how complex and intricate the plot may be, at the end one can go back, rethink. analyze and discover every plot element falls into place. All the clues and information which transpired are justified and neatly explained. Not so with the aforementioned. The first time viewers can be fooled into thinking every element is in place. But see it a number of times and one begins to discover deliberate false clues placed ino the action to throw off the viewer and manipulate his thinking. These clues are dishonest, for they are not internally justified, only an unfair device to "stack the deck"--to make the viewer think one way only to have a surprise element later on. But if the device use is a fake clue, this seriously undermines the work. These two films do just that; on first viewing they seem great. Watch it a few more times and note the "unfair play" these scripts have--all the pieces do not fall into place in the end, and indeed, they reveal themselves to be seriously flawed concepts. It is indeed a let down to make this discovery, but there it is. "Olivier, Olivier" is, like "Vertigo," a gem with a smooth surface and a cracked core.