I love this movie so much

How sad is this?

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I was really looking forward to watching this as I love revenge films. I would love to say I enjoyed watching this from the start through to the end. Sadly I can't. I didn't know when I bought the film it was French, quite strange to not have any music at all. I could feel the pain of the parents loosing their baby, very very,very slow film. I was expecting a lot of violence as the front cover stated it was going to be bad, but no, I've seen more in other films. The footage of the girl when her dad finds her is gritty and shocking. When the parents blame each other its sad but honest as most people blame either themselves or each other. When the parents of the other children named comes forward and state what they think and feel there's a big difference.

Based on a novel by Patrick Senecal, "Les 7 jours du talion" tells the story of surgeon Bruno Hamel, whose daughter is brutally raped and murdered. Hamel decides to do himself justice by kidnapping the murderer and plans on torturing him for seven days, after which he will execute him.Does this story sound familiar? It probably does. As a matter of fact, plenty of movies have exploited almost identical story lines. However, I can guarantee that the approach that this film takes is very refreshing and will manage to deliver plenty of food for thought and discomfort to its audience."Les 7 jours du talion" doesn't waste a lot of time in showing the perfect happy family clichéd scenes. It jumps to the tragedy quite quickly, and takes just enough time to show the impact of the loss on Hamel's couple, and the emptiness that they're left with on a daily basis. What happens next, as you may imagine, is a descent into one's personal hell, as he kidnaps the monster who killed his daughter, locks himself up with him in a secluded cabin in the middle of the woods, and performs horrible acts of torture on him.Keep in mind that this is a gruesome film. Some scenes are quite graphic, while others leave a lot to the imagination of the viewer, but are just as painful to watch. What's really interesting, however, is the psychological evolution of the protagonist.One of the things that truly differentiates "Les 7 jours du talion" from the bunch of similar existing films is the absence of music, even when the credits start rolling. I saw this at a movie theatre, and rarely did I ever see a crowd so awkwardly uncomfortable. As a viewer, with the musical element taken out of the equation, you are left with the rawness of the emotions on display. The music isn't there to dictate how you should feel during the torture scenes, or when you see Bruno Hamel hold the mutilated dead body of his own daughter. It may not sound like much of a big deal, but trust me, it breaks a barrier between the viewer and the notion that he's watching a film. It is hard to explain, but the experience somehow feels more authentic in a way, by letting the actions on display speak for themselves. It was quite surreal to see people at the movie theatre laughing in nervousness when the murderer is crying and begging Hamel not to torture him. Trust me, it's not because they thought it was funny. It's because they were anxious of what was going to happen next, because the music did not provide a single hint.The paradox behind the concept of revenge is the main theme of this film. And as it works its way up to the brilliant ending, it constantly evolves within the protagonist's mind. While not overly original in the questions that it raises, what's really impressive here is the delivery : the photography is cold, gritty, and not too overly desaturated; Daniel Grou's directing is stellar; Claude Legault, as always, is absolutely fantastic, and so is the rest of the cast.The ending left me with a big smile on my face. It's simply brilliant...that very last bit of dialogue is worth watching the entire film for.

Although I have not included any direct spoilers in this review, I've ticked the "contains spoilers" box because I can't really describe how I felt about this film without giving at least some hint towards what happens. If you've not yet seen this film, read my review at your own risk :)The most important point I want to make about this film is this: Do not be misled by other reviews that portray this as some sort of intense psychological thriller or philosophical piece with a strong moral point or undertone. It's neither of those things.What we have here is basically what I would describe as a fairly bog- standard torture porn, albeit with a single male victim. There are no twists or hidden surprises in the plot, nor should you expect any personal development for any of the characters. Occasional scenes of the film's main character standing silently in a forest while looking reflective are, I assume, some loose attempt at making the film appear superficially artistic and I guess that seems to have worked for some people, but my own experience is that those people are reading in to something that isn't there. Seven Days carries no moral or cultural statement any more profound than the rather trivial observation that torturing someone for vengeance is wrong and probably won't satisfy you anyway - a point that is hammered home not through any nuances of plot or emotional drama, but by being bluntly stated in dialogue in the later stages of the film.I can't recommend this one, I give it 3 out of 10 because it's just about watchable.

I suppose we all have had a moment when we read a story of brutality, the rape or murder of someone done in an excruciatingly violent way by someone who has no remorse. That's what happens here and the ugliness it brings to the parents of the little girl would get anyone's hackles up. So this director contrives such a situation and then goes into the "what if" mode. What follows is about as ugly as anything I've ever seen on film. The rest of the movie is about the brutalizing of the killer. It's not just that he is tortured, but we are invited in to watch his torture in graphic detail. Because the torture is mostly physical, there is nothing redemptive about it. The father becomes robot-like in his daily devotions to the art of vengeance. He ignores what he is doing to his family and becomes an automaton. He creates machines and devices that inflict horrors. I really don't want to spend any time with someone who would enjoy watching this and the fact that it was popular makes me wonder what we are made of. I'm not averse to severe punishment for criminals, but this is beyond the pale.