Culture

Directed by Fred Cayaye
(4.5/5)

Anything For Her grips you from the very beginning. The film opens with a middle-aged man, Julien (Vincent Lindon), sitting in his car in the middle of the night, panting and covered in blood, staring panic-stricken at the back seat. The story then jumps to a flashback, showing Julien with his wife Lisa (Diane Kruger) and son, a perfectly happy family, before the police burst into their home, arresting Lisa for murder. The rest of the film is devoted to Julien's efforts to free Lisa from imprisonment for a crime she did not commit, as appeals are exhausted and Lisa herself loses hope. Julien, however, never gives up on her freedom.
For something in the thriller genre, where typically the protagonist is equipped with a profound knowledge of armed combat and fifty civilians have to perish before the story's even halfway through, this little gem is amazingly relatable. It focuses on the love that Julien, a school teacher, has for Lisa, and how much he is willing to sacrifice in order to have her back. A particularly suspenseful moment is when Lisa flatly refuses to go with Julien, even as the police are only footsteps away. Don't rush to the cinema expecting blazing guns and gore galore, but if you're looking for something a little more sophisticated, then this is the film for you.