Wealthy but arrogant writer Jean Hervey comes home one day to find that his wife, Gabrielle, has left him for another man. Realizing her mistake, Gabrielle returns, and the pair begin a merciless analysis of their marriage as the relationship comes undone.
Husband and wife, upper-class couple Jean and Gabrielle Hervey, are played, to perfection, by two of France's premier film actors: Pascal Greggory and Isabelle Huppert.
– Michael Wilmington,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Sep 2006
fresh:
Chereau matches Conrad's insistence on psychological accuracy, burrowing through the protective layers of self-delusion that hold so many human relationships together.
– Michael Booth,
Denver Post,
15 Sep 2006
fresh:
For the most part, [Chereau] lets Huppert and Greggory provide the emotional impact. They respond accordingly, imbuing their mutual suffering with an exacting and moving finesse.
– Desson Thomson,
Washington Post,
28 Sep 2006
fresh:
This is a careful and cinematic adaptation that rings with painful truth.
– Dave Calhoun,
Time Out,
16 Nov 2006
fresh:
Although it is possible that French actress Isabelle Huppert makes the occasional false move, she does not make them in front of a camera.