The simmering romantic desire between Jean (Vincent London), a married construction worker, and his son Jeremy's temporary elementary school teacher Veronique Chambon (Sandrine Kiberlain), is so palpable that it makes you ache.
Director Stephane Brize brilliantly captures the temptation, confusion, and frustration of his star-crossed protagonists with a poetic eloquence that is nothing short of sublime. Based on Eric Holder's novel, Brize's delicately nuanced film is a study in cinematic restraint.
Few words pass between Jean and Veronique during their few meetings, but the their subtext is charged with a romantic magnetism that threatens to tug the would-be lovers into a tidal wave of lustful anarchy.
Veronique plays violin. Jean's caring wife Anne Marie (Aure Atika) works in a book factory. Happenstance allows Veronique to invite Jean to speak to her class about his job. She is beguiled by his stoic masculinity as Jean explains to the children how houses are built. The drafty windows in Veronique's new apartment need professional attention that Jean innocently provides.
In return, Veronique plays a song on her violin and loans him a CD of violin music. How the pair navigate their barely concealed intentions is the stuff of a magical drama that defies cliché. Kiberlain and London give deceptively complex performances that float in your memory and resonate in your senses.
(Lorber Films) Not Rated. 101 mins.
