Faites comme si je n'étais pas là (2000) User Reviews

The World Seen Through the Eyes of a Voyeur

[Matt73 · 8/10 · 10 May 2001]

Have you ever thought of being spied on? Or have you ever thought of spying on your neighbors?

This movie tells about a voyeur named Eric. He always spies on his neighbors and even logs all the activities! He becomes intrigued by a couple who live nearby and writes them notes then watches their reaction.

Finally he has a chance to meet and get to know them, which leads to more things that I won't be describing here. Just prepare yourself for the unthinkable! If you are not an open-minded person, avoid this one!

Rating: 8 out of 10

Catharsis - French Style

[grahamclarke · 23 March 2003]

There is great satisfaction in watching the process of emotional healing. It's one that makes hope a possibility. That process is delineated in a particularly French fashion in this small, powerful film. With no illusion, no glamour, it's a character driven piece centering on Jeremie Renier's utterly convincing performance.

From confused, hurt adolescent, he undergoes a cathartic experience preparing him for early manhood and the ensuing possibility of love.

Strong performances all around make this movie a satisfying and moving experience.

A complex psychological film, beautifully acted

[ahairyrice · 9/10 · 25 July 2006]

Jeremie Renier, a handsome, intelligent young Belgian actor (see him also in "La Promesse")portrays a troubled teenager who reveals his hostility, confusion and needs as he relates (and hides from) family members and strangers in his apartment complex. Despite Eric's anti-social behavior, he is an intriguing character to the other characters in the film, most of whom try to help him. Curiously, although he is a loner, he desperately wants to find out all he can about others. His character seems to be built on contradiction. He tries to hurt just about everyone around him, yet there is something about him, perhaps his neediness, that is very appealing. He seems to be both self-destructive and at the same time trying to find himself, and it is that effort at self-discovery that allows us as viewers to like him and to identify with him despite the nastiness and cruelty that he exhibits. I found the film to be one of the best that I have seen in a long time.

Coming of age en francaise.

[raimund-berger · 2/10 · 9 February 2009]

17 year old boy going on everybody's nerves and doing everything he can to destroy the relationships of people around him. Sports a voyeuristic tendency, to beef up an otherwise completely boring story and justify that menage a trois bed scene people seem to get that excited about. Please don't ask me why. Finally leaves a dead body behind and is rewarded with all the attention he could ever ask for. Sheds some tears then while end credits roll, likely due to the hardships he believes he has gone through. Ah, I shouldn't forget, there's an alibi excuse for his obnoxious behavior, his father died a couple of years ago.

That's literally all there is to it. Take this abstract as an offer to save you some time, by spending a little of mine. After what that movie has put me through, I feel I kind of owe you people a warning.

2 stars for Sami Bouajila, the one distinct highlight that couldn't save nothing.

magic triangle

[wengrui · 26 October 2002]

I like delicate European movies as this one. From the beginning, the polts caught my eyes, and the atmosphere was so calm just like I am walking in a central park alone. It is not hard for anyone to find Eric's eccentricity comes from his poor childhood which lacks of love from family members. His father died early, his elder sister left home, his mother was always in anxiety.

Eric are bisexual as I see, at least, he does not refuse homo-sex. At the end, you will find this magic triangle: Eric likes the girl and the boy, the boy likes Eric and the girl, and the girl( although she is tied of homo) likes these two men too. What will happen when three burning hearts come together? Check it out. It will refresh your mind!

Jeremie Renier

[Kirpianuscus · 23 April 2023]

His performance is the axis of this film about a confused, angry, troubled teenager, looking for refuges, hating reality around him, rejecting closed ones, having in voyerism a sort of purpose, in conflict against the lover of his mother and not in good relations with his girlfriend and his sister.

More than inspired story, it represents a fair - precise portrait of often discovered aspects from near reality.

I feel it a sort of personal story illustration and it is fair , for this, to admire- appreciate the beautiful work of the young Renier , perfect actor for roles translating the vulnerability in honest terms.