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In the Beginning

In the Beginning

Drama · 2009

France, present day. A professional conman passes himself off as the boss of a construction site building a highway extension. He cons the whole region, hires dozens of workers and cynically enjoys the profits of his scam until he meets the lady mayor of a small village that the road will go through. She intrigues and unsettles him, before revealing to him a world he never knew: feelings. How far will he go now to save his victims and save himself from his own lies?

Movie details

In the Beginning

2009 Drama 2h 10m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

France, present day. A professional conman passes himself off as the boss of a construction site building a highway extension. He cons the whole region, hires dozens of workers and cynically enjoys the profits of his scam until he meets the lady mayor of a small village that the road will go through. She intrigues and unsettles him, before revealing to him a world he never knew: feelings. How far will he go now to save his victims and save himself from his own lies?

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over In the Beginning?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Xavier Giannoli

Written by

Xavier Giannoli · Marcia Romano

François Cluzet

François Cluzet

Philippe Miller

Emmanuelle Devos

Emmanuelle Devos

Stéphane

Gérard Depardieu

Gérard Depardieu

Abel

Soko

Soko

Monika

Vincent Rottiers

Vincent Rottiers

Nicolas

Brice Fournier

Brice Fournier

Louis

Franck Andrieux

Franck Andrieux

Pascal

Court is in session

Put In the Beginning on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.