It may occur to you that this French film’s take on infidelity is very French. Fanny Ardant, who reminded me of Rene Russo, plays Caroline, the adulterous one here, a prematurely retired dentist who takes up with a thirtysomething computer instructor (Laurent Lafitte) at Bright Days Ahead, a kind of activity center that gives seniors a chance to brush up on acting, pottery, and ping-pong. It seems that Julien, the instructor, is having trouble with his teeth, and before long they’ve filled each other’s cavities. Caroline’s husband (Patrick Chesnais) seems nice enough, but Caroline is in need of something new in her life.
Director Marion Vernoux casts no implied moral judgments on her characters, presenting Caroline’s infidelity, and Julien’s own casual attitude (he has other lovers; she accepts that, mostly), without elaborate justifications. Emphasizing temperament over dramatic tension, she deals with the emotional fallout from the affair in a rather tidy
way, quite the opposite of, for example, the American thriller Unfaithful. The movie’s setting in the Calais area (northern France) sort of suits the film; the area lacks the ornate architecture of Paris or the lushness of the south. Its plainness matches these characters who, notwithstanding their deceptiveness, display a minimum of guile.
Most evidently, it’s a role Ardant can sink her teeth into, and she’s particularly effective in the film’s most flirtatious scenes. Surprises do not abound here, but that may be enough of a reason to watch.
IMDb link
viewed 4/23/12 7:30 pm at Gershman Y [PFS screening]
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