Eighty-eight this month, Alain Resnais is arguably the only master of the French New Wave still operating at the top of his game, as this deliciously uncategorisable tale of autumnal obsession more than demonstrates.

When 60-something Georges (Andre Dussollier, impeccable as ever) finds a wallet in a car park, he’s so intrigued to meet the owner – an attractive middle-aged woman with a pilot’s licence – that he’s almost convinced himself he’s in love even before he tracks her down. Marguerite (Resnais favourite Sabine Azema) is understandably concerned by the attention at first, but begins to change her mind as events defy everyone’s expectations, even whimsical policeman Mathieu Amalric. With a swooping camera and madly expressive use of colour conveying the characters’ inner turmoil, Resnais captures the alternating anxiety and liberation of individuals who’ve kept their lives in check for too long, putting everything across with the defiant brio of a cinematic Young Turk. Hats off! Notes by Trevor Johnston