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A scientist in a surrealist society kidnaps children to steal their dreams, hoping that they slow his aging process.

Aline Issermann's "Shades of Doubt" ("L'Ombre du Doute"), a French film about a wrenching family crisis, is set forth with remarkable restraint. The subject is incest, but the story's potential for tawdriness is never exploited. Instead, Ms. Issermann presents a discreet, methodical account of how 12-year-old Alexandrine comes to bring and then recant charges against her father, Jean.

After a missed burglary, deux young cads take refuge in a retiring-pension sowing terror. On the call of one of the pensioners, the police catch them. But some of the old people are puzzled by their situation and decide to ask about them...