Inspired by the 1678 novel La Princesse de Cleves by Madame de Lafayette, Christophe Honoré’s (Dans Paris) The Beautiful Person switches the drama from the court of Henry II to a contemporary Parisian high school where beautiful young student Junie (Léa Seydoux) has arrived following the death of her mother. She’s soon fighting off the amorous advances of much of the male student population, eventually succumbing to the charms of the shy and reserved Otto (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet). But it’s a relationship which soon finds itself in jeopardy as Junie falls for the brooding Italian teacher Nemours (Honoré regular Louis Garrel).

‘In our day, telling the story of a virtuous passion is much more of a challenge. In an age where amorous feelings must obligatorily find expression in ‘doing the deed’, renouncing instant gratification has become a form of perversion.’ Christophe Honoré