Ils (2006)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Directors:

David Moreau
Xavier Palud

Writers:

David Moreau (writer)
Xavier Palud (writer)

Release Date:

20 April 2006 (South Korea)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The film that terrified Europe has come to America

Plot:

Lucas and Clementine live peacefully in their isolated country house, but one night they wake up to strange noise... they're not alone... and a group of hooded assailants begin to terrorize them throughout the night.

Plot Keywords:

Night | House | Car | Writer | Country House

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Olivia Bonamy	...	Clémentine
Michaël Cohen	...	Lucas
Adriana Mocca	...	Ilona (as Adriana Moca)
Maria Roman	...	Sanda
Camelia Maxim	...	Maria
Alexandru Boghiu	...	L'enfant
Emanuel Stefanuc	...	Adolescent n°1
Horia Ioan	...	Adolescent n°2
Stefan Cornic	...	Adolescent n°3
George Iulian	...	Adolescent n°4

Also Known As:

Ils - Them (UK)
Them (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and terror.

Runtime:

France:77 min

Country:

France | Romania

Language:

French | Romanian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Italy:VM14 | France:-12 (with warning) | South Korea:15 | USA:R | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:MA (2008) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Eskwad

Trivia:

The house used in the film was an actual sprawling old estate in Bucharest, Romania. The house was so large that the production was unable to furnish all the rooms for shooting, but it was also large enough that the entire production worked out of the location.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Clementine drives to the house a crew member (most likely cameraman) is visible on the car glass.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Child: We just want to play! Why won't you ley us? Let us! Will you let us?

Short, but well filmed and full of tension

This film proclaims that the events contained within are based on actual happenings. I can easily buy this as the plot isn't so outlandish that it becomes impossible for it to have actually happened. The way that the film treats it's subject matter is good in that it focuses on atmosphere and tension to get across what is only really a variant on the same sort of story used in films such as Night of the Living Dead and Assault on Precinct 13, and the film does manage to remain interesting for the most part despite the fact that it gives you no real reason to care for the characters and the plot is incredibly thin. IMDb only lists two actors for the cast - there are actually more, but these two are the central characters. Clementine, a schoolteacher and Lucas, a writer live together in a picturesque little country house. They believe themselves to be isolated within this nice little home, but upon hearing a noise one night, the pair venture outside and discover that, in fact, they are not alone in their living area and soon realise that they have been invaded by a group of murderous 'visitors'...

The film only runs for seventy minutes, so there's not much time for plot building anyway. It would seem that directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud were keener to focus on themes of the plot rather than telling an actual story, and the ideas contained within mostly concern the pointlessness of violence and an invasion of a family home. The film benefits from a nice glossy cinematography, which looks nice and gives the film more of a high quality feel. The acting is decent enough, and both Olivia Bonamy and Michaël Cohen give interesting portrayals of their characters. The murderers are the most interesting part of the film, and this is true in spite of the fact that they're kept off screen as much as possible. The same idea behind the murderers of this film has been used before, to a better degree in some films, and is used well here also. The film falls down on the fact that it doesn't run for long and it doesn't really seem to have an actual plot. This isn't particularly important considering what the film obviously sets out to portray, but it does leave Them feeling rather empty. Still, this is a quality French horror film and comes recommended.