MFDB

Storyline

It is fifteen years since Sandrine Bonnaire appeared in the leading role of MONSIEUR HIRE, a melancholy love story that was to establish Patrice Leconte as an auteur. For the first time since that collaboration, Bonnaire once again assumes the lead in Leconte’s current film. Just as Michel Blanc had a voyeuristic fascination for the character played by Bonnaire in the earlier work, this comedy also involves a man taking a greater interest in Bonnaire’s character’s life than is seemly. Anna knocks on the wrong door by mistake one day and ends up unburdening her marriage problems to a financial advisor by the name of William Faber. Deeply affected by Anna’s troubles, but also more than a little titillated by the whole affair, Faber simply can’t bring himself to tell her the truth about his not being a psychoanalyst. As time goes by, a strange ritual evolves between Faber and the young woman; moreover, the bond between them deepens with each appointment. Each time they meet, William is moved and fascinated to learn the kind of secrets that women usually keep to themselves – secrets that nobody but he will ever hear. But wait a moment – who is this woman, Anna? Does she not in fact see right through his little game?

Festivals & Academy awards and others

Berlin International Film Festival 2004
Competition