The cinematic equivalent of the roman à thèse: scientific theory decked out in the trappings of fiction. The theoretical basis in this instance is a kind of biological Leftism espoused by Professor Henri Laborit, whose observations of laboratory rats have opened the door to his generalizing about human beings and particularly about their natural impulses toward aggression and domination. Three fictional characters are examined in this light, while the examining professor, who appears both on screen and in voice-over, never shines the light on himself, always remains aloof and knowing. These three, whom director Alain Resnais has claimed are perfectly autonomous beings and are not at all controlled by Laborit's theories, hardly seem interesting enough on their own, as ideally they should, to secede from this movie and strike off into a new movie independent of Laborit. For all the cautionary talk from him about man's tendency toward aggression and domination, no one in this movie seems a better illustration of that tendency than Laborit himself, seeking to cage the characters in theory and to leash-lead the viewer's perception of them. Gerard Depardieu, Nicole Garcia, Roger-Pierre. (1980) — Duncan Shepherd
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