The Page Turner (2006) Synopsis:
As a young girl, Melanie attends an important audition to obtain subsidised piano lessons - necessary to pursue her dream of being a professional musician. However, the arrogant disregard of one of the judges - famous concert pianist Ariane Frouchecourt - shatters her confidence; she blows her chance, and departs in tears. More than a decade later, with her own musical hopes long since abandoned, Melanie returns - now as an attractive, poised young woman - and proceeds to insinuate herself into the life of her former nemesis: becoming first her onstage page-turner, then her friend and confidante, and finally, her destroyer.
The Page Turner (2006) Movie Review:
Tension and innuendo swirl through this creepy French drama, which so gleefully deploys the tricks of the evil nanny genre that it could have been titled The Hand That Turns the Pages.
Melanie (Richalet) is a promising 10-year-old pianist whose dreams are dashed by the thoughtless behaviour of celebrity musician Ariane (Frot) at her big final exam. A decade later, she finds herself interning at the law firm of Ariane's husband (Greggory), quickly volunteering to watch their pre-teen son (Martynciow) for the summer. So she moves in with the family, and slowly sets about extracting her revenge. Opportunities abound: a tiny lift, a basement swimming pool, a pet hen, a kitchen full of sharp knives, psychological freak-outs--which will Melanie employ?
Most of the fun here is in the guessing. We chuckle as filmmaker Dercourt knowingly drops hints and red herrings all over the place. Each of these characters is a bundle of vulnerabilities; getting revenge, even in the most unthinkably horrible way, seems too easy. And in many ways the film is just a big waiting game, as we patiently remain on the edge of our seats wondering what Melanie's plotting. And even what she's actually capable of doing.
As a result of the elaborate pictures we build in our minds, the actual denouement is a little disappointing. Although it seriously lingers in the memory long after the film ends. This is mainly due to the astonishingly cool performance of Richalet (L'Enfant), who gives away so much with the tiniest of glances. While those around her--Frot mainly, and also Greggory and Martynciow--expertly nail their naively trusting characters. They have surprises up their sleeves as well. As do Ariane's musical partners, played with texture and edge by De Guillebon and Mollet.
Dercourt toys brilliantly with our expectations. Even the pieces the musicians play (from Shostakovich to Schubert to Bach) have a sinister edge to them. But in the end, the film feels somewhat superficial. It's admirable that Dercourt resists falling for genre cliches and cheap scares, but honestly, that's exactly what this film needs.
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The Page Turner (2006) review written by: Rich Cline
12th October, 2008 
