Dominik Moll's With a Friend Like Harry is a chilling psychological thriller.

It builds slowly but relentlessly to a shocking and numbing climax.

When it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year, critics compared it to such early Alfred Hitchcock thrillers as Strangers on a Train, Rope, I Confess and Rebecca.

The comparisons are fair ones.

That Moll means his film as a homage to Hitchcock is clear from the title, which is nod to Hitchcock's thriller The Trouble With Harry.

Moll sets the tone of the film instantly.

Michel (Laurent Lucas), his wife Claire (Mathilde Seigner) and their three young daughters are heading for their summer home for a week's vacation.

Their car is hot, the youngest girl has an ear infection, the other children are squirming and arguing.

It's an unnerving and unsettling atmosphere that just keeps getting more intense and nerve-racking.

We learn later that Michel and Claire aren't really looking forward to the vacation.

When they stop at a service station for a bathroom break, Michel meets an old classmate, Harry (Sergi Lopez), who instantly insinuates himself into Michel's life.

Very quickly, it becomes clear that Harry has been obsessed with Michel from the time they were classmates.

Michel had once aspired to be a writer and Harry makes it his mission to revitalize that dream.

He's determined to let no one prevent Michel from becoming a great writer even if it means killing all those who represent possible hurdles.

At every opportunity, Moll drops clues. The more a viewer picks up on them, the more menacing the film will be because it is possible to guess what horrific thing Harry will do next to ensure Michel is free to write.

With a Friend Like Harry recalls the masterful Dutch thriller The Vanishing because both films offer a nightmarish journey into the depths of manipulation and obsession.

(This film is rated AA)

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