50-something Margaux (Emmanuelle Béart) returns to her hometown near Versailles to reconnect with her sister Marianne (Eva Ionesco) following the death of her older husband. Having married young and with no children, for Margaux being alone is a new experience. When she takes up studies in German literature with a view to becoming a translator, she meets a group of students and befriends one of them. Béart makes a luminous comeback, subtly capturing Margaux’s grief, and isolation, reaching out to retake possession of her life. Beautifully shot on film, framing the longing and the passing of time at a measured pace, we feel immersed, as night-time scenes and landscapes perfectly mirror Margaux’s inner world.

Screening as part of the IFI French Film Festival 2020, November 11th-22nd. Full schedule here.