Rien A Faire review

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Unveiled at the Venice Film Festival nearly three years ago, this French drama intelligently examines an unexpected relationship between two individuals from differing ends of the social spectrum.

Pierre (Dell'Isola) and Marie (Bruni-Tedeschi) meet by chance in a supermarket. Both are unemployed - - he recently lost his job as an executive at a multinational where she once had a menial position. Without telling their respective partners, the middle-aged Pierre and Marie begin spending their "empty days" together. But what will happen to their secret friendship if he returns to work?

Writer-director Marion Veroux has crafted a pleasingly low-key account of an illicit romance, in which love is at the mercy of external, material factors. Intelligently shot by Dominique Colin, Rien A Faire showcases two fine performances from Dell'Isola and Bruni-Tedeschi, who movingly convey the tentative intimacy between their characters.

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