The Origin of Evil

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1:43

The Origin of Evil

R

2023

2h 3m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

54 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

When Stéphane (Laure Calamy of Call My Agent!, Full Time) gets in touch with wealthy Serge (Jacques Weber), announcing that she is his long-abandoned daughter, his immediate family are none too thrilled. As Stéphane embarks on an extended visit in hopes of getting to know Serge, she also becomes entangled with the hostile women who share a tense existence in his beautifully appointed mansion by the sea: the restaurateur's wife (Dominique Blanc), his other daughter (Doria Tillier), a rebellious granddaughter (Céleste Brunnquell), and a strangely off-putting housemaid, all of whom are clearly unsettled by the arrival of Serge's newly announced heir. But Stéphane is a confident liar with secrets of her own, which writer-director Sébastien Marnier teases out with cool assurance in this wildly entertaining thriller that will keep you guessing all the way to the end.

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Critics Consensus

A slow-burning thriller whose twists are held together by a stellar ensemble, The Origin of Evil confirms writer-director Sébastien Marnier as a talent to watch.

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

[An] enjoyably pulpy, devious, Highsmith-esque thriller in which nothing and nobody are quite what they seem.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 31, 2024

Full Review

Cath Clarke

Guardian

Without a doubt this is easy entertainment, never dull, and it has some shrewd things to say about class and money – though the satire might have been sharper and the running time shorter by a good 20 minutes.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 27, 2024

Full Review

Alison Willmore

New York Magazine/Vulture

Everybody in this movie seems to be lying through their teeth. In less sure hands, this could have resulted in annoyance.

Dec 9, 2023

Full Review

Anna Hoang

Boston Hassle

The experience in watching THE ORIGIN OF EVIL is akin to that horror-like uneasiness, where you are certain that something colossally bad will finally present itself and ruin everyone’s lives. Even the interior of this mansion is notably off-putting.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 16, 2025

Full Review

Megan Fisher

Loud and Clear Reviews

Where the film does succeed is in conveying the particular, illicit delight of watching people be nasty to one another.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 11, 2025

Full Review

Kevin Wight

The Wee Review

Entertaining cuckoo in the nest thriller ultimately plays it a little safe

Rated: 3

Jun 2, 2024

Full Review

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Norm V.

An underrated movie but it deliver beyond expectations. Suspenseful!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/22/23

Full Review

Jon T

Another critical favourite that l found underwhelming. It’s ok but the plot twists require the audience to believe in personality transplants. In the end just ridiculous.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/29/24

Full Review

Sara D

I thought this was a fantastic and under-watched movie. Full of twists and great performances. Personally, I never felt like it dragged, And yes, it’s a bit far fetched but not to the point I ever got interested or annoyed by it. It kept me thinking. If you want something that will keep you on your toes this is it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/09/24

Full Review

Veronica T

Overlong, implausible, complicated to little effect, self-indulgent (was it meant to be ironic?) tho mildly attractive to look at in the boring bits which were frequent. Save your money and use your time to see something else - anything else, almost in my view. If was on TV I'd have switched off.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/24

Full Review

Alec B

The screenplay gets way too silly but the movie is still thrilling and fun.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/04/24

Full Review

Daniel G

The Origin of Evil is able to peel back the story of its characters in a surprising and interactive way. The plot does an exciting job of twisting and turning to keep the audience on their feet even until the credits start rolling.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/10/23

Full Review

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Sébastien Marnier

Director

Laure Calamy

Nathalie Cordier

Doria Tillier

George Dumontet

Dominique Blanc

Louise Dumontet

Jacques Weber

Serge Dumontet

Suzanne Clément

Actor

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The Origin of Evil: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

When Stéphane (Laure Calamy of Call My Agent!, Full Time) gets in touch with wealthy Serge (Jacques Weber), announcing that she is his long-abandoned daughter, his immediate family are none too thrilled. As Stéphane embarks on an extended visit in hopes of getting to know Serge, she also becomes entangled with the hostile women who share a tense existence in his beautifully appointed mansion by the sea: the restaurateur's wife (Dominique Blanc), his other daughter (Doria Tillier), a rebellious granddaughter (Céleste Brunnquell), and a strangely off-putting housemaid, all of whom are clearly unsettled by the arrival of Serge's newly announced heir. But Stéphane is a confident liar with secrets of her own, which writer-director Sébastien Marnier teases out with cool assurance in this wildly entertaining thriller that will keep you guessing all the way to the end.

Director: Sébastien Marnier
Screenwriter: Sébastien Marnier
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Avenue B Productions, micro_scope
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Some Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 22, 2023, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $83.8K
Runtime: 2h 3m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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