My Name is Hmmm…(15)

Directed by Agnes B

4/5

FOR many, “Hmmm” is probably the response they’ll give to this film, given the ambiguity of its provocative narrative.

Capitalising on the current child abuse scandals, not least those close to home, it’s been fashioned by Agnes B as a critical commentary. 

It opens with British trucker Peter (Douglas Gordon) heading across France and during his stop-over the scene switches to a French worker (Jacques Bonnaffe) down on his luck and seeking drink.

He’s a father who’s married with three children, notably 11-year-old Celine (Lou-Lelia Demerliac), who he often asks to “come upstairs.”

The abuse is largely heard not seen and later we witness his sense of guilt and self-castigation.

Celine displays courage and fortitude as she takes advantage of a school trip to pack her bags and do a runner. “Don’t you touch my sister,” she warns before leaving.

The focus turns back to Peter, who parks near the beach and is unaware of Celine who uses his cab to hide and sleep.

She accepts his offer of a ride and we’re whisked off in an extraordinary road film that never fails to surprise.

Peter, obviously troubled from some loss of his own, doesn’t want to be questioned. Will he or won’t he be the good Samaritan — that’s the thread that provides the film’s tension.

There’s a shocking denouement to My Name is…which attempts to  describe the dialectic of abuse while emphasising that we’re responsible for our actions.

Agnes B, who also wrote and produced the film, resorts to surreal detours to impress that while the hunt is on for Celine’s “kidnappers,”  the threat emanates from close to home.