Girl On The Train review

A tense French thriller about a girl who lies about being the victim of a hate crime

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The disturbing true story of a young French woman who lied that she was the victim of an anti-Semitic hate crime provides the basis for André Téchiné’s probing drama.

Rosetta’s Émilie Dequenne plays the girl of the title, whose false claims have far-reaching consequences for her mother (Catherine Deneuve), a Jewish lawyer (Michel Blanc) and his fractured brood.

Téchiné doesn’t try to explain Dequenne’s behaviour, instead seeking to explore the kind of climate in which such a fiction could be taken as fact.

Steeped in ambiguity, this Gallic slow-burner has a nagging tension that grips even at its most opaque.

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Freelance Writer

Neil Smith is a freelance film critic who has written for several publications, including Total Film. His bylines can be found at the BBC, Film 4 Independent, Uncut Magazine, SFX Magazine, Heat Magazine, Popcorn, and more.