ERIC ROHMER

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBB

Original title:  Conte d’Hiver

France, 1992.  Compagnie Eric Rohmer, Les Films du Losange, Canal+, Investimage, Sofiarp.  Screenplay by Eric Rohmer.  Cinematography by Luc Pages.  Produced by Margaret Menegoz.  Music by Sebastien Erms.  Costume Design by Pierre-Jean Larroque.  Film Editing by Mary Stephen.  

Eric Rohmer’s seasonal tales go to the months of gray skies and cold winds with this tale of faith and passion.  A romance on vacation brings Charlotte Véry together with handsome Frédéric van den Driessche, but when they part she accidentally gives him the wrong address before he goes to America and beyond her reach.  Five years later, she is raising a little girl and still holding on to the belief that she will find her lover again, semi-committed to one relationship with a writer and another with a hairdresser but honest with them both about her inability to give them more than just her presence.

Subtle and sweet, this is a film that does an expert job of never calling attention to its own machinations, which is amazing considering the nature of its conclusion.  In part it works thanks to the whisper-soft direction by Eric Rohmer, who was always expert at making steady and smart films, and in part because of the high quality of acting involved.  It will be far too subtle for some audiences, perhaps not quiet humorous enough for the time and trouble it puts you through, but it rewards your patience.

Berlin Film Festival:  In Competition

Toronto International Film Festival:  1992