Anne Fontaine's latest film is a beautifully balanced and haunting study of hidden tensions in a bourgeois family, with a first-rate cast led by veteran Michel Bouquet (who was named Best Actor at the recent Lumiere awards for his chilling performance, and considered a favourite for the upcoming Cesars).

Jean-Luc (Charles Berling) is a successful doctor married to a beautiful and wealthy scion of the French bourgeoisie (Natasha Régnier). He has the respect of the Versailles community in which he practices and lives in a lovely and well-appointed country house. Everything in Jean-Luc's existence is ordered and controlled, but the completely unexpected arrival of his father quickly exposes the fragile nature of his carefully constructed life. Long believed to be dead by his thoroughly shocked sons, the man proves to be a charming, elegant conversationalist temporarily a bit down on his luck. Strangely, Jean-Luc can barely stand the sight of his returning parent, and distrusts his very presence...

Slowly, but surely, the father masterfully probes the family's weaknesses, albeit in the most refined and sophisticated way, and it is not long before Jean-Luc's life is seen through a set of somewhat different lenses. Michel Bouquet is simply superb, while Berling and the talented Régnier are equal to the task as the happily married couple whose world is dealt a turbulent spin.

The parent-child relationship has rarely been depicted with such subtlety and assurance, thanks to a masterful script co-written by the director and the renowned Jacques Fieschi (A Heart in Winter and Nelly and Mr. Arnaud).

"A little masterpiece with a relentlessly disturbing intensity. Bouquet, nominated Best Actor for this movie at the coming 2002 French Cesar Award, Berling and Régnier (magnificent!) devour their roles. The overall effect is one of rare high-precision mechanics." (Pierre Vavasseur and Alain Grasset - Le Parisien).

2001 France (100 min.)

Directed by Anne Fontaine
Writing Credits: Jacques Fieschi, Anne Fontaine
Cast: Michel Bouquet, Charles Berling, Natacha Régnier, Amira Casar, Stéphane Guillon
Distributed by: Pathé.