Along with her husband and three children, Marthe lives in an eden of her own creation, nearly isolated from the rest of the world. The arrival of a construction vehicle, however, pierces their tranquil, hermetic existence—before long a disused highway has been re-opened, and the family finds their home situated in the midst of rush-hour traffic. While the privileges of clean air, quietude and privacy are thus denied them, Marthe remains determined to stay no matter the cost.
Direction
Meier's unshowy precision turns mundanity into mounting horror.
Acting
Huppert's smiling refusal to break is masterclass in repression.
Sound
The highway's encroaching roar becomes a character itself.
Director
Ursula Meier
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The highway was a decommissioned stretch of Swiss motorway; production had limited hours to shoot with actual traffic.
Meier called it 'a horror film without the horror'—the monster is modernity itself, and it always wins.
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