The Witnesses (2007)
78%RT Audience Score: 65%
Awards & Nominations: NA
French director André Téchiné successfully weaves five gripping stories in an engaging and realistic film about the early days of the AIDS epidemic
The Witnesses” is a film that takes on the heavy topic of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in France during the 1980s. Critics have praised the film for its strong ensemble cast and emotional maturity, but some have found it lacking in narrative force. However, one thing is for sure – this film is not for the faint of heart. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions that will prepare you for a sucker punch of things that do matter. So grab some tissues and get ready for a thought-provoking ride.
Production Company(ies)
Mandeville Films, Walt Disney Pictures,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2007
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Nov 24, 2009
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Michel Blanc, Emmanuelle Béart, Sami Bouajila, Julie Depardieu, Johan Libéreau, Constance Dollé, directed by André Téchiné, written by André Téchiné, Laurent Guyot, Viviane Zingg, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Hank Sartin, Melissa Anderson, David Edelstein, Michael Phillips, V.A Musetto, Roger Ebert, Yasser Medina, David Lamble, Alexander Ryll, Kelly Vance, Nora Lee Mandel, MPAA rating, Saïd Ben Saïd, French, AIDS epidemic, homosexuality, friendship, seaside vacation, adultery, diagnosis, tension, ensemble cast, Dolby Digital, DTS
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Emmanuelle Béart – Sarah
Sami Bouajila – Mehdi
Julie Depardieu – Julie
Johan Libéreau – Manu
Constance Dollé – Sandra
Director(s)
André Téchiné
Writer(s)
André Téchiné, Laurent Guyot, Viviane Zingg
Producer(s)
Saïd Ben Saïd
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (7)
November 18, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Hank Sartin
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Melissa Anderson
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Excitingly convoluted.
October 18, 2008
David Edelstein
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
Techine’s graceful, forceful drama has the tact not to play narrative games with its subject.
October 18, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/4
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
André Téchiné’s film features a strong ensemble cast. The film pulls no punches in its depiction of lives in crisis.
July 16, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
TOP CRITIC
The Witnesses doesn’t pay off with a great operatic pinnacle, but it’s better that way. Better to show people we care about facing facts they care desperately about, without the consolation of plot mechanics.
May 16, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
‘The Witnesses’ is a film executed with some skill by André Téchiné, but I don’t see that it has enough narrative force to provoke any kind of emotion in me. [Full review in Spanish]
August 7, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
All this prepares you for a sucker punch of things that do matter…
May 22, 2020
David Lamble
Bay Area Reporter
Though the specter of HIV/AIDS looms over the second part of the film once Manu is diagnosed, it wisely doesn’t take over the latter part of it. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it was a few years before the epidemic first hit France.
September 15, 2019
Alexander Ryll
Gay Essential
The Witnesses has an emotional maturity that adds richness to its social observation.
April 28, 2011
Kelly Vance
East Bay Express
Best when it turns from bed-hopping into a docudrama, but its effort to personalize the AIDS crisis is not emotionally convincing as the characters lose their individuality.
December 14, 2008 | Rating: 5/10
Nora Lee Mandel
Film-Forward.com
October 18, 2008 | Rating: B
Stephen Schaefer
Boston Herald…
Plot
“The Witnesses” is a drama about a middle-aged doctor who pursues a friendship with a young man named Manu, who later begins an affair with the doctor’s friend’s husband and is diagnosed with AIDS, causing tension within the two couples.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Emmanuelle Béart, who plays Sarah in the film, is a well-known French actress who has appeared in over 60 films.
André-Téchiné.jpg
