Ils (2006)

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:

Writer | Young Boy | House | Lighter | Night

Awards:

1 nomination

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

Directed by
David Moreau
Xavier Palud

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
David Moreau		writer
Xavier Palud		writer

Produced by
Richard Grandpierre	....	producer
Bogdan Moncea	....	line producer
Vlad Paunescu	....	co-producer

Original Music by
René-Marc Bini

Cinematography by
Axel Cosnefroy

Film Editing by
Nicolas Sarkissian

Casting by
Floriela Grapini
Guillaume Moulin

Set Decoration by
Alexandra Botoi Tudorache

Costume Design by
Elisabeth Mehu

Makeup Department
Lidia Constantin	....	key hair stylist
Lidia Ivanov	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Cristian Bostanescu	....	executive in charge of production
Nicolas Dancel	....	unit manager
Elena Valeanu	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Oana Ene	....	second assistant director
Franck Vestiel	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Germain Boulay	....	supervising sound editor
Yannick Boulot	....	sound recordist
François-Joseph Hors	....	sound re-recording mixer
Marion Lorthioir	....	post-synchronisation
Thomas Pietrucci	....	sound re-recording boom operator
Serge Rouquairol	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Ciurlin Melania	....	special makeup effects
Ionel Popa	....	prosthetic and makeup effect

Visual Effects by
Christophe Lucotte	....	color grader

Stunts
Dicu Aurel	....	stunt rigger
Mihaela Elena Oros	....	stunt double
Vasilescu Valentin	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Florin Mihalache	....	electrician

Transportation Department
Octav Tudor	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Andreea Iordache	....	location manager
Ruxandra Popescu	....	production accountant
Pierre Selinger	....	production attorney
Oana Topliceanu	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• Eskwad
• Studio Canal (co-production)
• Castel Film Romania (co-production)
• Canal+ (participation)
• Ciné Cinémas (participation)

Distributors

• Mars Distribution (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Future Film (2007) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Metrodome Distribution (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Slowhand Cinema Releasing (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Dark Sky Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2007) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Dark Sky Films (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• MPI Home Video
• Media Cooperation One (MC-One) (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Metrodome Distribution (2006) (UK) (all media)

Other Companies

• Castel Film Romania  production facilities

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:

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

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Eskwad

Trivia:

The "true story" in which the film was based upon involved an Austrian couple that was murdered by three teenagers in their vacation home in The Czech Republic.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

Child: We just want to play with you... won't you play with 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.