Synopsis
In the seacoast town of Boulogne, antique furniture saleswoman Hélène lives with her stepson, Bernard, who's back from military duty in Algiers. An old lover of Hélène's comes to visit, Alphonse, with his niece Françoise; he too is back from Algiers, where he ran a café. Bernard speaks of his fiancée, Muriel, whom Hélène has not met. The past is obscured by guilt, misperceptions, and missed possibilities. Appearances deceive, things change. As Hélène and Alphonse try to sort out a renewal, everyone seems off-kilter just enough to hint that all cannot end well.
Ratings
IMDb7/10
Rotten Tomatoes80%
199 audience votes
Key crew
- Alain ResnaisDirector
- Jean CayrolWriter
- Hans Werner HenzeOriginal Music Composer
Cast
- Delphine SeyrigHélène Aughain
- Jean-Pierre KérienAlphonse Noyard
- Jean-Baptiste ThiérréeBernard Aughain
- Nita KleinFrançoise
- Claude SainvalRoland de Smoke
- Laurence BadieClaudie
- Martine VatelMarie-Dominique, aka Marie-Do
- Philippe LaudenbachRobert
- Jean ChampionErnest
- Jean DastéL'homme à la chèvre / The Goat Man
- Julien VerdierLe loueur de chevaux / The Stableman
- Nelly BorgeaudLa femme du couple d'acheteurs
Stills
Themes
widowmother son relationshipfrench new wave