Watch Lemming

Lemming is a psychological thriller suspenseful film directed by German director Dominik Moll in 2005. The movie is set in France; it is in the French language with English subtitles. It starred Laurent Lucas, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Charlotte Rampling, and André Dussollier. The film follows the story of Alain Getty (Laurent Lucas), an engineer who has been called to Nice by his boss to complete some work required to enforce his corporate career. His wife, Benedicte (Charlotte Gainsbourg), has to play host to colleagues and their wives. Alain and Benedicte don't have a good marriage, and they suffer from a lack of communication, identified early in the film, as an essential issue in the couple's life. Things get worse for the couple when Alain discovers a dead lemming in the plumbing of the house leading to some peculiar incidents in the movie.

Alain realizes after a long day of work, while he and Benedicte sit down for dinner with their colleagues and a surprise visit from Mr. and Mrs. Dessange, his boss, that the rats have nested in the house, and his wife has called a pest controller, who also happens to be a fan of Alain's work. This is where the suspense of the movie starts to take shape.

Unexpectedly, things start to spiral out of control as Alain invites the pest controller, Luisa (Charlotte Rampling), to stay with them since she cannot travel and has nowhere to go. Benedicte, initially hesitant, agrees to the arrangement.

The next day, Benedicte goes to work, leaving Alain and Luisa in the house. Alain starts acting a little weird, and his behavior is worsened when he takes a shower and finds a dead rat in the bathroom. The film takes an unnerving turn when Alain starts hearing a strange noise in the house and suspects it to be the lemming that he found earlier.

As the story unfolds, and the characters' psychological states go haywire, the movie shifts from a typical relationship drama to a dark psychological thriller. The lemming in the plumbing becomes more of a symbol for the deteriorating relationships between the couples that seem to have taken a darker turn.

The climax of the film reaches an incredibly well-crafted conclusion, where the characters' psychological issues are laid open and realizations surface that take the viewer by surprise. As the end credits start to roll, viewers can't help but feel like they have just witnessed something that not only shook them to their core but also forced them to confront the idea of identity and trust with an unfamiliar approach.

The film's director, Dominik Moll, has done an excellent job with Lemming, creating an environment and atmosphere that keeps viewers intrigued during every moment of the movie. The film doesn't rely on jump scares or cheap thrills to grab the audience's attention. Instead, it focuses on underlying tensions and anxieties that surface in relationships, giving the film its own unique and intriguing tone.

Lemming's adept cinematography, score, and slow-burning pacing create an unsettling eeriness that will stay with viewers long after the credits roll. The sound design is particular in establishing a menacing and unsettling tone, with some shots and sequences that require the full attention of the viewer.

Overall, Lemming is an extraordinary film that will appeal not only to fans of psychological thrillers but also to those who are passionate about filmmaking as an art form. The movie has a depth you don't usually get in the suspense genre. It creates an incredibly complex and layered narrative that keeps you guessing right until the end.