Selected for competition in Cannes this year and the closing film at Singapore's French Film Festival, Don't Look Back is a rather straight-forward psychological drama starring two European actresses who would need no introduction in Monica Bellucci and Sophie Marceau playing the same role of Jeanne, or so it seems.

We're introduced to Sophie's version first, where she's attempting to write a novel after a series of successful non-fiction works, for the sole reason of revisiting her much forgotten, and likely repressed past. Despite her publisher's persuasion to abandon the idea because it's only to dig up some skeletons best left hidden, she forges forward and bit by bit discovers that she's starting to lose her mind, where furniture starts to be in places she no longer remembers, and family members start to look physically different, which of course is enough for anyone to freak out. And the icing of the cake, she morphs from French looking Sophie Marceau, to the Italian babe Monica Bellucci. Which is not a bad thing of course, considering one can morph into somebody less attractive or endowed even.

In the meantime, we're left to wonder if Jeanne (in whichever version) is starting to lose it, whether it could be an extreme and early onset of the Alzheimer's, as roads become unrecognizable, husbands become someone else, and scars disappear and reappear. It's an extreme case of severe identity crisis where one is thankful that it doesn't take the cop-out route and make everyone wake up from a bad nightmare.

It's an extremely well made psychological piece which explores the fear that comes with losing the things that we hold dear, and also the uncomfortable sense of being outside an established comfort zone, journeying into the big unknown, deducing what actually is happening, despite not knowing where to start, and the developing suspicion that everyone is in on the joke, except for yourself.

It's tough to compare who was the better Jeanne, because Sophie disappears for the most part from the second act onwards. Screen time shared by both actresses in the same frame is extremely limited as well, so we'd only get to savour one sold performance after another, turn-based. There's a proper explanation to everything that's happening, though one has to be patient in order to allow the narrative to reveal itself in due course. So meanwhile, accept what's presented, and try to piece together the jigsaw yourself.

"Don't Look Back" is decidedly not for all tastes: impatient non-thinkers who want everything handed to them on a silver platter need not apply. Writer-director Marina de Van certainly does not make it easy on the audience: she never shows the heroine's hallucinations from an "objective" point-of-view, so that we can easily tell what's real and what's not. Instead, she films them in a matter-of-fact way - we see what she sees, we hear what she hears. My personal "reading" of the film (and there can certainly be more than one), and also a reminder for when things get too strange, is that nothing supernatural occurs in the film; it's all psychological. Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci (both of them still highly desirable at 40 , I might add) appear to be playing the same character (and they do it excellently), but only one of them is "really real"; her perception of people (including herself) and things around her occasionally changes based on what she feels, what she learns, what she remembers. "Don't Look Back" is also a great example of creative (and non-redundant) use of computer effects, helping with some remarkable face transformations. The film is not perfect: it's quite slow and a few things are never explained. But it invites you to think and theorize - and such films are becoming more and more rare these days. *** out of 4.

The beautiful Jeanne is a successful biography writer, who is intent on writing an autobiographical novel based on her childhood. A childhood she does not remember due to a car accident in Sicily. Her book is however rejected by her publisher, as a story too focused on countless descriptions, but void of any emotion. Coincidentally Jeanne starts to have troubles with perception - photographs, cameras and mirrors begin to show things that Jeanne remembered totally differently. She stops recognising her house, her husband, her two kids and in the end she no longer knows the person she sees in the mirror...

Unaware of Marina de Van's previous work I picked this movie up due to it's Cannes credentials. Told with some very competent and tight storytelling (although not devoid of slight plot holes or unnecessary scenes added just for eeriness) this French movie never cops out on it's promised delivery. Also instead of your typical American shock twist you are treated with a much more subtle, intelligent and down-to-earth ending, which logically evolves from the beginning to an at least satisfying finale. Although horror fans may be disappointed by the relatively unshocking solution - at times the movie promises to frighten keeping the viewer on the verge of something horrific, but concludes without a single frightening moment. All in all de Van had a story to tell and she did that expertly - emotionally dragging you in and also keeping the tension sharp as a razor throughout the movie.

Both Sophie Marceau and Monica Belucci do an expert job conveying the story and it is self-explanatory why they are widely held as two of the best actresses of their generation in Europe. Both actresses give award-worthy performances, but it'ld be hard to decide which of them should win the prize, as they basically play the same character and you would be forgiven if you forgot that two actresses played the same role. There is almost no way to tell at what exact moment Marceau is exchanged for Belucci.

In this case it is quite evident that they were hired for much more than their looks. Nonetheless both are ravishing in this movie, albeit age looks to be creeping up on Belucci much faster than on Marceau. Fortunately for them their class acting should keep them busy until they are both over 80. Supporting cast is also spot on, although this movie focuses so heavily on Jeanne, that you hardly notice their presence and input.

In the end you may however feel slightly underwhelmed by the movie, which although nicely told does not always feel deserving of a full length feature. Also some of the cinematography seemed detached from the story and the viewer was unable to really notice the changes that occurred in Jeanne's surroundings. Were it not for Jeanne's weird behaviour you would be forgiven for not noticing anything wrong. That said they were some beautifully done sequences where faces of people change around her, but that has more to do with the make-up and special effects crew, than the DOP.