Liberating fantasy, cautionary tale and suspense thriller combine in this attractive French adaptation of Douglas Kennedy’s 1997 novel in which a Parisian lawyer flees his domestic responsibilities to become the person he always wanted to be. Romain Duris, the star of Paris and The Beat That My Heart Skipped, is just the man to play this restless spirit, conveying underlying unease with his beautiful wife, home, family and top job, yet also registering palpable vulnerability when the story takes his fortunes elsewhere . . . promising exotic adventure and creative fulfilment. Stellar support from Catherine Deneuve and gnarled Niels Arestrup fill out Eric Lartigau’s classy yarn, whose echoes of Antonioni’s The Passenger help us through a plot which requires the occasional suspension of disbelief. The evocative visuals respond to every twist in the tale however, as unfolding events unpick Duris’ ego-stroking dreams of renewal and tension attends the growing realisation that it’s best to be careful what you wish for . . . (Notes by Trevor Johnston).