‘What Marielle Knows’ Review: A Young Girl Suddenly Acquires Telepathy In Frédéric Hambalek’s Amiable Comedy – Berlin Film Festival

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It turns out Marielle knows a whole lot, far too much for her parents’ comfort. In fact, after suddenly developing telepathic abilities, Marielle knows everything her parents do and say, which needless to say isn’t exactly a welcome development, either for her or her mom and dad.

In his sophomore feature What Marielle Knows, Frédéric Hambalek imagines just how awkward it would be for a “normal” middle-class couple whose lives are built upon little daily lies to cope with a child who calls them out on every hidden action and fib.

It’s a good premise, and for the most part Hambalek plays it well by keeping it as natural as possible, minimizing the paranormal element and homing in on classic male/female behavior.

But that’s the problem: it’s all rather too classic, too predictable in “what a man does” and “what a woman does.” What Marielle Knows is solid, coolly handsome and well-acted, yet the premise calls for something a little more disruptive than what it delivers.