The Origin of Evil (2024) Dir. Sébastien Marnier

The fight over inherited wealth is a theme that has seen a resurgence lately especially with the excellent TV show Succession alongside recent movies Knives Out, The Fortress and The Estate. The Origin of Evil sits alongside these - particularly as they all have the same family portrait poster design (!) - and tries to include a few new twists in an attempt to stick out from this busy crowd.

But does it though? Well, partly. The film stars Laure Calamy as Nathalie whose lover is in prison. But she assumes her identity as her partner is the real but estranged daughter of a wealthy businessman.

Nathalie makes contact with the rich patriarch Serge Dumontet (as sleazy Jacques Weber) who invites her to his mansion and she has to battle the prying eyes of his daughters who view her with suspicion as they play their own games against their obnoxious dad.

From the outset, Nathalie begins to stick out as despite her claim to be a rich business owner herself, gives herself away as she tries to help the family’s maid and displays her kindness to others. How could she be the real daughter or part of this family if she’s not such a shit?

Well, as this occurs, the father meanwhile seemingly does everything he can to be despised by his live-in daughters from stating he “wanted sons” to lashing out violently and belittling them at every opportunity. As an outsider with a particular agenda, Nathalie however cozies up to him with the audience questioning how far she will be willing to go in her ruse.

But the influence of the house and its hidden secrets means nothing is as it seems. Shotguns on walls hint at a murderous streak in their shared history, whilst the opulent house and extravagant wine cellar appear to hide all kind of dark clues. And as Nathalie ingratiates herself in the home, the father's initial warm welcome is undercut with scathing remarks (“gold-digging”) and a subtle hint, or unsubtle in a particularly uncomfortable leg massage scene, that she is not the only one playing dubious games.

The film tries to increase the intrigue as Nathalie’s plans begin to fall apart and again Laure Calamy shows why she is such a fantastic actress with a mesmerising screen presence - as she was in Full Time (our review) - as she plays a desperate woman holding her own as a crazy world spins around her uncontrollably. 

But like the suspicions and doubts raised within the family dynamics, the film also feels a little “off” too. The twists and turns are never really that surprising and the fact we are told explicitly early on that Nathalie is an imposter takes much of the mystery away.

And despite the cast delivering what’s on the page well, the plot on the page isn’t well translated into some kind of indefinable narrative ‘energy’ that truly engages and propels the story forward. 

The Origin of Evil ends as well shot and acted slow-burn French drama-thriller that mostly entertains for a few hours in a harmless way. But the most frustrating aspect is the potential it hints upon but never really comes to deliver. Not an entirely wasted opportunity, and the eccentric characters will pull you through until the (slightly ludicrous) conclusion, but I just wished I liked it more. If this doesn't sound up your street then stick with Succession.

★★★

3/5

Michael Sales

The Origin of Evil is in cinemas 29 March