Back home

Slack Bay

261 votes

Producing House

Summer, 1910. Inspectors Machin and Malfoy investigate the mysterious disappearances of several tourists on the beautiful beaches of Slack Bay, where a strange community of fishermen lives.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 2016-05-13

Runtime: 122 mins

Director: Bruno Dumont

Spoken language: Français

Genres: Comedy

Original title: Slack Bay

Production Companies: Twenty Twenty Vision Filmproduktion, Pallas Film, ARTE France Cinéma, WDR/Arte, 3B Productions

Production Countries: France, Germany

Reviews

G

Geronimo1967
If you’re up for a bit of borderline farcical pantomime that manages to merge elements of Laurel and Hardy with Ingmar Bergman by way of “Mary Poppins” then this is the film for you. It’s set amidst the sand dunes of the coast of La Manche where folks have begun to mysteriously disappear. Drafted in to investigate is the avuncular “Insp. Machin” (Didier Després) and his sidekick “Malfoy” (Cyril Rigaux). They quickly settle their investigation on a confluence of the sea and the Slack river, where a family of subsistence oyster farmers live under the gaze of the mansion of the wealthy “Van Peteghem” family. This family - that wouldn’t have looked out of place at the start of John Boorman’s “Deliverance” (1972) - largely ignore the locals and live their degenerate lives selfishly, flaunting their obvious wealth in front of their poverty stricken neighbours. Things get a bit complicated when local urchin “Ma Loute” (Brandon Lavieville) takes a shine to the enigmatic “Billie” (Raph) and that not only breaks the unwritten convention that has inhibited the association of the local proles and their visiting patricians. It also complicates the sleuthing for our policeman, who is prone to swelling (think “Aunt Petunia” from “Harry Potter”) when he gets nervous about a case and for the eccentric family led by the mad as cheese “André” (Fabrice Luchini) and the scene stealing “Aude” (a Juliet Binoche who seems determined to present an hybrid of Katharine Hepburn and Dame Margaret Rutherford as she hams up delightfully). Virtually nobody is as they seem as the drama unfolds and whilst the comedy could never be described as subtle, it’s very excessive nature carries it along entertainingly, if perhaps a little sporadically, towards a denouement that Luchini himself has a go at describing to an equally bemused audience and family. That conclusion is a bit rushed and, I thought, undercooked - but the whole film offers us parodies galore, is grandly scored, photographed and designed and there are a few silly scenes that did make me giggle as it pokes fun at the riche, the not so riche, sexual ambiguities and taboos as it generally lolls along enjoyably.
2025-10-17

Recommendations

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
3.2

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

2020-10-23

14 years after making a film about his journey across the USA, Borat risks life and limb when he ret

Ten Minutes from Naturists
2.3

Ten Minutes from Naturists

2012-03-04

A family of Brussels concierges, whose employers have left for the summer, decide to swap their home

The Internship
3.1

The Internship

2013-06-07

Two recently laid-off men in their 40s try to make it as interns at a successful Internet company wh

Sextette
1.9

Sextette

1978-03-03

On the day of her wedding to her sixth husband, a glamorous silver screen sex symbol is asked to int

The Bronswik Affair
4

The Bronswik Affair

1978-01-01

This funny yet serious short film demonstrates the effectiveness of advertising and the marketing ma

Head Over Heels 3
3.5

Head Over Heels 3

2019-04-11

Alice Segretto is more agitated than ever. The success of her chain of stores Sexy Delícia takes the

The Wolf of Wall Street
4

The Wolf of Wall Street

2013-12-25

A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on

Sudden Manhattan
2.6

Sudden Manhattan

1996-10-11

Twenty-something Donna is jobless, single and broke. On a fateful day, reality turns itself upside d

The World's End
3.4

The World's End

2013-07-18

Five friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from 20 years earlier unwittingly

De Perto Ela Não é Normal
2.6

De Perto Ela Não é Normal

2020-10-29

The fun and inspiring journey of a woman, from her 8 to 40 years of age, in search of herself and he

Bernie the Dolphin
3

Bernie the Dolphin

2018-12-07

A brother and sister who befriend a badly sunburned dolphin separated from his family and uncover a

Ready or Not
3.5

Ready or Not

2019-08-21

A young bride's wedding night turns into her worst nightmare when her ridiculously rich in-laws forc

Worst. Christmas. Ever.
2.5

Worst. Christmas. Ever.

2020-11-03

When a small-town teen discovers she's pregnant on Christmas Eve, her entire life begins to snowball

Calendar Girl
2.6

Calendar Girl

1993-09-03

Three young men go on an end of the summer trip to Hollywood, California. Their quest: to fulfill th

Cocktail
3

Cocktail

2012-07-13

A shy simple traditional girl leaves her family in India for her new husband in London, where she me

Apple Thieves
3.5

Apple Thieves

2024-11-15

A melancholic day set in the autumn of 2021 becomes a hazy adventure when broken hearts of two mille

Bikini Summer
1.6

Bikini Summer

1991-01-01

A group of friends are hired to redecorate a beach house while the elderly owners are out of town fo

Los obsexos
3.8

Los obsexos

1989-01-01

Two friendly guys, tired of a monotonous and boring life, decide to live fully. They want to meet ne

Surf Party
1.9

Surf Party

1964-01-30

Arizona youth enjoy sun, surf and music in Malibu, Calif.

Harold's Going Stiff
2.3

Harold's Going Stiff

2011-05-06

Harold is suffering from a terrifying new disease that is turning him into a zombie. As his conditio