This is a film which, for me, picked itself right up through its very clever final scene which could easily have been quite, for want of a better word, cliché. 'I woke up and it was all a dream' is in no way an appropriate way to talk of the ending and/or plot of 'comment j'ai tué mon père'. The lead up to the revelation of the genuine nature of the letter received by Jean-Luc explaining his father's death is played immensely well, and the development of the plot throughout the film in the lead up to Maurice's 'imaginary' death gives nothing away.The result of this 'dream like' or imaginary plot that makes up almost the entirety of the film results in us having not one, but two major climaxes in the film; the first being the strangling of Maurice by his son, and the second being the revelation that Maurice was indeed dead as was said at the beginning of the film. These two climaxes occur so close together that maximum impact is definitely achieved. The dramatic strangling of Maurice is then superseded by the realisation that the events of the film have in fact been a figure of Jean-Luc's imagination; an untold story that flashes through his mind in a split second.The film is brimming with emotion, and is clearly seen on the faces of every character; the short 'diary room'-style, very personal 'interviews' with Patrick give us even further insight into the impact of Maurice's arrival upon the lives of his sons, and give the film a much greater dimension. I do think that the depth of emotion in the film can sometimes slow the film down, however this does heighten the impact of the 'second climax'. I feel that by slowing the film down, the final revelation proves even more shocking as with the relatively slow plot, we have become maybe too comfortable with where we think the film is going.'Comment j'ai tué mon père' is a great film, which manages very well to surprise without falling into the 'cliché' trap. It could sometimes feel slow, however this was more than made up for by its very clever twist, both written and acted superbly.

How I Killed My Father (aka My Father and I) is a story about parental abandonment and filial rage, told in a very calm way. The characters hardly ever break a sweat as they deal with irresponsible fathers, feckless siblings, childlessness and the other griefs of life. The locale is, after all, Versailles, and the emotional temperature never gets above zero in those manicured gardens.Jean-Luc invents a family for himself to replace the one he lost at the age of ten. He becomes a father substitute for his brother Patrick--imagine having your brother as chauffeur and gofer. He presides over this clinic for rich middle-aged people trying to regain their youth, much like a father and his children. If his wife is tiring of being an ornament, he can handle her moods: after all, he's got her believing she can't have kids. The mistress at the clinic can be kept happy by the promise of an apartment. The only thing he can't allow is to be abandoned by any of them.The conflict with his father is the occasion for many droll exchanges between Charles Berling and Michel Bouquet. Jacques Fieschi, the co-author of this script, also wrote Un coeur en hiver, Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud and Sade, some of my favorite studies of bleak hearts in comfortable surroundings.

5 of 10Despite good acting, the story lacks depth and direction. The middle seems like little more than styrofoam for a clever beginning and ending concept. Lots of stuff simply does not fit.

Many French films over the decades have begun with a voice, with or without images, one of the characters, usually the protagonist, speaking directly to the audience. "Comment j'ai tué mon père" begins with a male voice speaking, over blank-screen credits, about the trials of late middle age. Since our only other info has been the film's first-person title, when the bearded speaker materializes we assume he's our protagonist. He's just young enough to have a living parent, maybe one about to die. When the camera pulls back to reveal the gerontologist listening, we see this secondary figure as a prop, a movie cliché. But a cut disillusions. The speaker will never reappear. It's the gerontologist's story.Director Anne Fontaine's slight of hand continues throughout the film, so pervasively that it's difficult to go on here with giving away too much. It's far from only the gerontologist's story. At least three characters, not counting the opening speaker above, carry the point of view. Yet it's not "Rashomon." Perhaps appropriate in a film about aging, with a gerontologist dead center, the time line seldom wavers.