So much average

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

A luxury French hotel in the Pyrenees, is the setting for this thriller. Frederic Boissier, a young man recently released from jail for a minor charge, is hired to work at the luxury inn. The owner of the hotel, Jacques, wants to keep his guests in posh surroundings. As the story begins, he asks Paul, his son, to go for some wine supplies at a near town. The roads are covered with snow, traveling is difficult. On his way back to the hotel, Paul, accidentally kills a man on the road.Frederic, about to leave for the day, witnesses as Jacques and Paul return the van which Paul was driving to the garage. Jacques, who realizes his young employee has seen them, decides to keep Frederic in a different position at the hotel, which surprises the young man. Jacques acts friendly toward his new employee, yet when an investigative woman detective arrives to question the hotel owner, and his staff about the death of the man who was a guest at this luxury hotel, his son, or even him, will be found out, so he goes into high gear to protect himself and his family from the scandal. Sometimes drivers involved in hit and run accidents, such as the one Paul experienced, become paralyzed with fear for the consequences of their actions. It would have made more sense to report the accident, instead of trying to hide the victim, which ties Jacques to the crime. Directed by Jacques Jacoulot, "Avant l'aube" is a psychological thriller that shows exactly the type of mentality of a man that cannot face his responsibility after accidentally having caused the death of an innocent man on the road during inclement weather. Co-written with Lise Macheboeuf, the film is worth watching because of all the elements the creators brought to the story. Shot in different locales between France and Andorra, the film gets the viewer's attention from the start. The casting of Jean-Pierre Bacri who plays Jacques, helps the film for the actor is lends an aura of mystery and elegance to the proceedings. Young Vincent Rottiers makes a good impression in the way he handles Frederic, the man whose involvement in the crime is null, but gets dragged into it against his will. Silvie Testud makes a good contribution to the film with her detective, which reminded us of Frances McDormand in "Fargo".

Some films stand or fall because of one actor, not only because most of the screen time he's there, but because the action pivots on him. This is the case of Vincent Rottiers, whose "Frédéric Boissier" will stay in my memory for a long time.Well known actors J. P. Bacri, beautiful L. Mikaël and F. Perrot on the surface are the perfect family, owners of a hotel in the chic Pyrinees, serving the wealthy and powerful. But from the first scenes we know something is rotten, and Bacri knows Fréderic has seen to much. As this boy with a troubled past has no family and a simple girlfriend, Machiavellian Bacri buys our friend F. with trifles. A coat from his own son (who subsequently hates him), some awful stiff dinners with his stressed family, staying at the worst employee's room for a few days. And affection, plus a father figure, which F. never had and needs so badly.Bacri is of course perfect as a likable guy who even while blatantly lying, you wind up still believing him. We've all been used by people like "Jacques".Nice well shot scenery (even if you don't like the snow & mountains), well used (sparsely) classical music, and a glimpse into a world most of us won't ever know (pricey winter resorts) seen from the owner and the worker's perspective, to boot.I didn't like the female inspector's character, played by Sylvie Testud ("Ce que mes yeux ont vu" among others) who this time, strangely enough, is not believable at all, I am sure, because of a "thin" character, always clumsy, asking some questions but ultimately not delivering much."Jacky", Fréderic's coworker, is also a hidden gem of a character. If you've been envied by somebody without knowing why, you know Jacky.Sadly beautiful Céline Sallette (Le grand alibi) is also moving in this film, albeit in a small role.It'll keep you gripping at your seat until the end, and then some. Can't say the same of most blockbusters you'll ever see :)!PS: There are some loose threads, about a car's light that F. finds, for instance, and doesn't put to good use. Just a passing thought.

Gloom atmosphere of the October - period in a holiday resort in the Pyrenees. The setting reminds of an Hitchcock film, the tension, the characters, the closed environment, alas not the film direction. The objects and evidences of the culprit do not play the role they could in building up the suspense, there is no follow up. I found that the whole story and suspense lands flat on its nose. Good acting from most of the cast, and especially from the second roles. The hotel does not look real for one moment, with real customers, that is a pity.Good scenario and story, lacking somehow inspiration. Worth seeing in spite of its dull moments.

I like this french drama which sometimes have some thriller accents. Jean Pierre Bacri plays here a fancy hotel owner, right in the middle of the Pyrénées mountains, a superb setting. His son is a budding young gendarme - french police for the country side - who is just got married. One night, Bacri's son accidentally kills a man on the road. One of his father's hostel customer. The young man calls his dad and the two hide the corpse. That's where the story begins. Bacri, as usual, is very convincing in his character. Sylvie Testud, who plays the police woman in charge of the investigation, is very good too. In this movie, all the characters are very effective in their parts. Nothing is really predictable. The ending is not a real one, and you can guess the following.Well, maybe...