Emmanuelle Béart (pictured right) gives one of her finest performances as Nelly, a divorcee revitalised by her friendship with a mysterious former magistrate, in Claude Sautet's subtle 1995 film (with subtitles).
Tired of her layabout husband, whose refusal to work has left them behind on the rent, Nelly's life is given new purpose when a mutual friend introduces her to the much older Monsieur Arnaud (Michel Serrault, pictured left).
Inspired and emboldened by her new friend, Nelly leaves her husband and begins working for Arnaud, typing up a manuscript of his life. The sexual tension between the pair is palpable, though never acted upon, marking Sautet's film as a potent but subtle exploration of longing and restraint.