Timothy Findley’s Canadian novel The Last of the Crazy People was the source material for this moody 2006 psychodrama by Laurent Achard, who’s changed the locale from Ontario to the French countryside. First-time actor Julien Cochelin stars as a lonely ten-year-old surrounded by strife: his mother is insane and never leaves her room, his older brother is a gay alcoholic reeling from rejection, and his grandmother is furious that his father is about to lose the family farm. Only the Arab housekeeper shows him any affection, and during their visit to a neighbor?s home, the boy spies a handgun that presages tragedy. With his drooping right eyelid and lack of affect, Cochelin is well cast as the damaged child, but the screenplay lacks subtlety, telegraphing almost every development. 95 min.
