Hell (2005)

Hell (2005) is a French film directed by Danis Tanović. Originally drafted by Krzysztof Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, it was intended to be the second installment in a trilogy. The story takes place in Paris and follows three sisters: Celine, Anne, and Sophie. In one early scene, a woman and her young daughter (later revealed to be Celine) visit an office where they encounter two people: her father and a naked young man. Years later, after several chance meetings with Sebastian in their adulthood, a misunderstanding leads to Celine stripping for him under the belief that he is an admirer. Confessing his true identity, Sebastian reveals that he is the same young man from the earlier encounter and takes responsibility for her father’s imprisonment. He explains that he had developed feelings for her father and acted impulsively out of confusion when left alone with him.

It is uncovered that the girls’ father attempted to reunite with them upon his release from prison when they were young. He forcibly entered his ex-wife’s home and cornered her in the kitchen, in an effort to see his daughters. However, they had already been informed by their mother of his past actions and had barricaded themselves in their bedroom. The mother eventually breaks free from the kitchen, but is then physically assaulted by the father, causing her to suffer a brain injury and losing her ability to speak. He subsequently jumps out of a window. Moving forward, Anne engages in a romantic relationship with a man who happens to be both her best friend’s father and a professor at Sorbonne University. This leads to Anne becoming pregnant (while the professor is still married). Meanwhile, Sophie’s marriage crumbles due to her husband engaging in an affair.