20/31

Mathieu lives in Paris, Alice in a small spa town

They have a brief romance and then go their separate ways. To wash away his melancholy, Mathieu goes to a thalassotherapy centre, where he accidentally finds Alice.

Winter Moon Rising Written by Michael Alan Levine & Samuel B Levine

When Mathieu receives a phone call from the theatre director whose production he has left, the director’s voice is played by the director himself, Stéphane Brizé. This French film, directed by Stéphane Brizé, is a sensitive drama/romance as old lovers meet again at a different stage in their lives.

There are moments of subtle humour and lovely interplay

Guillaume Canet and Alba Rohrwacher are a well-matched couple whose chemistry was essential for the film to work. I’m a little shocked because the film’s depiction of their (re)connection is well-nuanced and true to life.

Brizé’s formations and long shots are beautiful but rather barren, as are the inner lives of the man

For example, there is a wedding scene where two men "sing" (whistle) like birds among themselves, conversing quite eloquently and magnetically – would watch this revelation. However, the film is painfully slow, emotionally terse and almost two hours over what would have made it more effective.

his sick characters, which are aptly depicted

However, when added to the very familiar rhythms of the story, it all lacks the weight to justify this overwrought attitude.