Them

There is a useful directness to Them, a horror film shaped by David Moreau with a firm understanding of its audience. In Them, Olivia Bonamy provides the anchor while Michaël Cohen introduces a contrasting energy. Without revealing later complications, Them opens from this situation: Lucas and Clementine live peacefully in their isolated country house, but one night they wake up to strange noise. The resulting its 1h 17m running time feels most convincing whenever Them trusts behaviour more than explanation.

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The narrative of Them works from a simple but productive collision between Lucas and Clementine. Through Olivia Bonamy, Them keeps that premise rooted in a reaction the audience can understand. David Moreau introduces the central character at a useful point, giving Them a reason to change pace without abandoning its emotional line. The handling of an important relationship is not equally fresh, yet Them usually earns attention through clarity rather than surprise alone.

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As director of Them, David Moreau proves alive in individual scenes and uncertain between them in the transitions between intimate material and larger demands. A strong scene in Them often begins with a modest detail before David Moreau lets its meaning expand. For Them, the cast and craft keep the experience watchable because the central tone remains visible even during busy passages. The weakness in Them is that too many scenes explain effects the actors have already suggested, although David Moreau usually finds the original rhythm again.

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Performance is the clearest human asset in Them, beginning with the committed centre provided by Olivia Bonamy. Michaël Cohen keeps Them from settling into one emotional register by approaching the material from another angle. The presence of Adriana Mocca gives the surrounding world of Them additional texture without distracting from the main line. When David Moreau holds on a reaction, Them communicates more efficiently than another explanatory exchange could manage.

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Them uses its horror film framework to consider fear, isolation and the moment familiar spaces stop feeling safe. For the character played by Olivia Bonamy, that idea gives Them stakes beyond the next immediate obstacle. The recurring pressure of Clementine prevents the theme in Them from feeling like decoration added after the story. David Moreau makes Them more thoughtful whenever the implications remain inside action and reaction.

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Them gains much of its identity from patiently built dread, a choice that makes the world readable as well as attractive. The contribution of Eskwad allows Them to combine patiently built dread with a consistent visual language. Within its France setting, Them makes particularly good use of carefully rationed sound when the story needs to change scale. Sound and editing preserve the personality of Them by supporting detail instead of announcing every intended response.

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My final view is that Them provides an uneven film with enough personality to remain interesting for horror viewers who prefer atmosphere to constant shocks. Olivia Bonamy supplies the emotional memory of Them, while David Moreau keeps the genre machinery readable. A concern remains because too many scenes explain effects the actors have already suggested across part of Them, yet the better passages retain their force. What earns Them consideration is not perfection but the presence of choices that feel made for this story.