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Genealogies of a Crime

Released Mar 27, 1998 1h 54m Drama List
67% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 43% Audience Score 100+ Ratings
An attorney (Catherine Deneuve) defends a young man (Melvil Poupaud) on trial for killing his aunt, a psychiatrist who took him in to study possible homicidal tendencies. Read More Read Less

Critics Reviews

View All (6) Critics Reviews
Deborah Hornblow Hartford Courant Catherine Deneuve gives two intelligent, involving performances in Genealogies of a Crime, but not even her talents can bring clarity to Raoul Ruiz's ambitious but overboiled psychoanalytic crime picture. Rated: 2.5/5 Apr 17, 2018 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Rated: 3/5 Apr 30, 2008 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid I found the film's mystery strangely compelling, no doubt helped by Deneuve's radiant presence. May 26, 2006 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Jul 20, 2005 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Incomprehensible puzzler. Rated: C+ May 4, 2004 Full Review Ed Kelleher Film Journal International Elegantly creepy one minute and cheerfully absurdist the next, Genealogies of a Crime is lively and inventive, suggesting that there is more going on here than meets the eye. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (5) audience reviews
Audience Member This makes the third Ruiz film that I've seen; it was even more disappointing than Time Regained and seemed more like a Luis Buñuel wannabe. The uninspiring performance of Catherine Deneuve and some surrealistic flourishes made Ruizâ(TM)s film reminiscent of The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie but the most unfortunate part of is that it has already been done a long time ago by the real Avant-garde. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member To commemorate Raul Ruiz's death last week, I checked out this 1997 French existential "thriller" which is laced with psychoanalysis, identity swaps, and murder. But Ruiz keeps us at a distance from the characters and the plot is obtuse, wordy, possibly elliptical (I fell asleep at one point), and may not make sense. Still there are amusing moments and a general absurdist air that carries things along well enough. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Um bom suspense, com um ótima autação da Catherine, a temática envolve psicanálise, crime e até um suicídio em massa em nome da ciência. Prende a atenção, mas podia ter sido melhor executado Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member I'm not sure the Oedipal theme is really what's being explored here, as much as the criminal mind, and the enormous powers that psychoanalytic techniques can have over the human mind. This is a really offbeat film, with charm and innocence where you least expect it, much like Ruiz's Comedy of Innocence. Deneuve isn't as harsh as usual, and Piccoli is, as always, a sheer delight. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member LETTERBOX. Graciosa, interesante, ingeniosa... y algo pretenciosa, pero no demasiado. / Funny, interesting, clever... and somewhat pretentious, but not too much. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Genealogies of a Crime

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis An attorney (Catherine Deneuve) defends a young man (Melvil Poupaud) on trial for killing his aunt, a psychiatrist who took him in to study possible homicidal tendencies.
Director
Raúl Ruiz
Producer
Paulo Branco
Screenwriter
Pascal Bonitzer, Raúl Ruiz
Distributor
Strand Releasing
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 27, 1998, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Apr 19, 2005
Box Office (Gross USA)
$76.8K
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
35mm