As she did in Beau Travail, director-cowriter Denis uses style to both expand and mask the strong narrative. The film's soft, naturalistic exterior masks a seething undercurrent of violence and grisliness, which occasionally bursts onto the screen in all its gruesome, terrifying glory. These shifts in tone are jarring, to say the least, but they also draw us in, cranking up the tension to almost unbearable levels. We begin to imagine what might be coming long before we see it, which somehow makes it all so much more startling ... and darkly moving. This is augmented beautifully by realistic performances from the cast (only Dalle is completely gonzo), who make us feel for these tortured, murderous or naive people all the more. Believe me, this is unlike any sex-and-horror film you've ever seen!