Not long after the opening credits, we are placed, unexpectedly, at the scene of a crime. Dr. Alex Beck (François Cluzet) and his wife Margot (Marie-Josée Croze) are celebrating their anniversary at the lake where they played as children when, after a small argument, Margot swims to shore. Soon the audience hears sounds of a struggle. After being alerted to his wife’s cry of distress, Alex runs to her rescue, but is knocked unconscious and falls into the lake.
Eight years later, Alex still grieves over Margot’s murder. He goes to work every day to his job as a pediatrician, but he refuses to listen to the advice of his friends, who tell him to move on with his life. When two bodies show up on the lake’s shore one day before the anniversary of Margot’s death, the cops reopen her murder investigation with Alex as the prime suspect. Although he was not convicted in his wife’s death eight years ago, the police remained suspicious of his version of what happened that night. Who pulled Alex out of the water after he blacked out? Who called 9-1-1 to leave an anonymous tip about the crime? These questions become even more important when Alex receives a mysterious e-mail from an unfamiliar account, providing evidence that his wife might still be alive and accompanied by the message, “Tell no one. They’re watching.”
As the cops discover evidence that could possibly link Alex to his wife’s murder, Alex gets a tip from his lawyer (Nathalie Baye) that he is going to be arrested. This forces him to make a quick decision, especially if he wants to uncover the truth of Margot’s whereabouts. In the second e-mail he receives from his wife (the only person it could possibly be), she arranges a meeting time for the two of them. With the prospect of seeing Margot, Alex runs from the cops rather than waiting to get arrested for a crime he claims he didn’t commit.
An intense chase scene follows as Alex runs through the streets of France. Attempting to outrun the police, he hides in a dumpster with a dirty rat, sprints across a busy freeway, and seeks refuge with a gangster (Gilles Lellouche). This man is the father of a former patient and feels obligated to help the man who saved his son’s life. Next, Alex sets off to find answers to questions he should have asked eight years ago. These answers will fill the inexplicable holes in the mystery, although there is a group of unsavory individuals who might put a hamper in his personal investigation.
Not only is the plot superbly constructed to prevent any respite from deciphering the puzzling crime, there is an impressive cast of top French actors led by Cluzet, who bears a striking resemblance to Dustin Hoffman. Marina Hands has a small role as Alex’s horse-riding sister and lesbian lover of Alex’s close friend and confidante, Helene (Kristin Scott Thomas). Other notable appearances include François Berleand as the only cop who believes that Alex is innocent; Jacques Laurentin as Margot’s father who knows more than he lets on; Jean Rochefort as the wealthy stable owner who doesn’t appear until late in the film and Canet in the small, but important role of Rochefort’s son.
Out of this notable ensemble, I was most surprised by Kristin Scott Thomas, who speaks fluent French with a spot-on accent. Although she was born in England, she is said to consider herself French, having lived in France since she moved from her homeland at the age of 19 to take a job as an au pair. She plays Helene with a sense of authority, commanding every scene with extraordinary poise.
With an excellent cast to work with, Canet co-writes a script that keeps the audience guessing until the final minutes of the film, when the truth is revealed. He includes various flashbacks to illustrate the events that happened eight years ago, providing relief for our many unanswered questions. Packing as much information as possible into two hours that seem to fly by, “Tell No One” is immensely entertaining with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.