With a Friend Like Harry… (2000) (2/25)

A chance encounter to a public restroom reintroduces Michel (Laurent Lucas) to an old high school friend named Harry (Sergi Lopez), and even though Michel has no memory of Harry, Harry remembers everything about him. And Harry is disappointed to discover that in the years that followed, the young Michel, who had so much potential, has become saddled with a busted car, a disapproving spouse, needy children, and overbearing parents.

But to Harry, there’s no problem that cannot be fixed. In Dominik Moll’s subtle, razor-sharp thriller, the anxieties of family living become a grotesque set of obstacles and a gruesome series of murders. But what’s even more disturbing than the violence is the possibility that, deep down, Michel might actually appreciate what Harry is doing for him. And with that uncomfortable layer, Moll’s film becomes less about a murderer entering an innocent man’s life and more about the possibility that, if given the opportunity to permanently remove an impediment from our lives, anybody could become a monster. It’s a horrifying thought, and a horrifying film.