Bastards

Play trailer

Bastards

2013

1h 40m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

68%

Tomatometer

56 Reviews

37%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Marco is called back to Paris when his brother-in-law commits suicide and his niece is hospitalized after a rape.

Violet Lucca

Little White Lies

In a year where art-house releases and blockbusters were seemingly in competition for the longest running time, Claire Denis' Bastards is an exercise in pure economy.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 20, 2016

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

Bastards is Denis' most eventful, impactful film in quite some time. But one couldn't warmly recommend it.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 28, 2014

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

Claire Denis comes unstuck with this drearily angst-ridden tale of suicide, sexual violence and incestuous strife, which takes inspiration from Faulkner's Sanctuary and Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 16, 2014

Full Review

Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

Denis’ typically impeccable editing strings together individually stunning shots into fast-paced hypnosis, but her fluid command meshes poorly with self-conscious morbidity, culminating in an arguably silly/unnecessarily provocation-minded ending.

Jan 25, 2023

Full Review

Dustin Chang

Floating World

Its pulpy premise and fuzzy the ending didn't really bother me. I hear this was Denis' first foray into digital filmmaking, but with Agnes Godard at the DP helm, the images are just as mesmerizing as her previous films.

Feb 24, 2021

Full Review

C.J. Prince

Way Too Indie

On mood and atmosphere alone, Bastards is highly impressive and one of Denis' strongest works.

Rated: 7.4/10

Jun 22, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Christopher G

Taught. Quiet. I had no idea how this one would finish. The last two sequences left me thrilled, devastated, and in awe.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/25

Full Review

John A

The opening sepia-laden sequence is mesmerizing. 30 to 40 minutes in I was almost completely checked out. It isn't a middling film because of Claire Denis' economic approach. 'Bastards' is middling and pretty forgettable because of the shallow and underdeveloped story.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Some "Irreversible" moments that are difficult to watch, and Vincent Lindon cast himself well as the uber masculine sailor, but overall it's a slower burn than it needs to...

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

give it a chance great movie

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Billed as a revenge thriller this French picture doesn't really follow through will the thrills being quite a slow burner. What the film does deliver is a very dark brooding tale in which no character is untarnished but its pacing is its primary flaw.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

French very own thrilling style.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Claire Denis

Director

Vincent Lindon

Marco Silvestri

Chiara Mastroianni

Raphaëlle

Julie Bataille

Sandra

Michel Subor

Edouard Laporte

Lola Créton

Justine

Sieranevada

92%

77%

Sieranevada

Watchlist

Paradise: Love

78%

69%

Paradise: Love

Watchlist

Women Do Cry

75%

%

Women Do Cry

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Marco is called back to Paris when his brother-in-law commits suicide and his niece is hospitalized after a rape.

Director: Claire Denis
Producer: Olivier Thery-Lapiney, Laurence Clerc, Vincent Maraval, Brahim Chioua
Screenwriter: Jean-Pol Fargeau, Claire Denis
Production Co: Pandora Produktion, Alcatraz Films, arte France Cinéma, Goodfellas S.L.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 6, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.2K
Runtime: 1h 40m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now