One day, on a whim, Marc decides to shave off the moustache he's worn all of his adult life. He waits patiently for his wife's reaction, but neither she nor his friends seem to notice. Stranger still, when he finally tells them, they all insist he never had a moustache. Is Marc going mad? Is he the victim of some elaborate conspiracy? Or has something in the world's order gone terribly awry?
An absorbing riddle posed in cool, matter-of-fact tones.
– Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Sep 2006
fresh:
A shuddery, enigmatic study in psychological suspense.
– Colin Covert,
Minneapolis Star Tribune,
28 Sep 2006
fresh:
In one sense it's what might be called 'typically French,' an exquisitely observed fable of bourgeois life that is mordant, witty and yet low-key. In another sense, it's what might be called 'nuts.'
– Stephen Hunter,
Washington Post,
2 Nov 2006
fresh:
What the movie lacks visually, it makes up for with the performances, especially by Lindon, who leads us on a journey we want to stick with even if we can't fully understand.