After years of self-imposed exile, pianist Mathias (François Civil) returns to France, where his former mentor, Eléna (Charlotte Rampling), has invited him to perform a series of concerts with her in his hometown of Lyon. Once a rising star of the French musical scene and Eléna’s prized pupil, Mathias has spent many years teaching and performing in Japan. Soon after his arrival, a chance encounter with a child who looks just like him throws Mathias into turmoil, threatening to drag him down, and leads him back to his first love, Claude (Nadia Tereszkiewicz). French master Arnaud Desplechin (My Sex Life…, A Christmas Tale) returns to some of his favorite themes – psychologically charged homecomings and unexpected reunions (romantic and otherwise) – in this sensual, Hitchcockian melodrama featuring one of Rampling’s most delicious roles in years.
“A rhapsodic piece about love, death, music and memory.”
– Jonathan Romney, Screen International
“An elegant mélange. Its tête-à-têtes give way to full-throated melodrama, the narrative punctuated by haunting Hitchcockian flashes, complete with Bernard Herrmann-esque swells of yearning melody in Grégoire Hetzel’s stellar score.”
– Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
“An ideal example of what a prestige film should be…Charlotte Rampling delivers her best performance in years.”
– C.J. Prince, The Film Stage