Nathalie (Emmanuelle Béart)

REVIEW
Actress/director Anne Fontaine cunningly steers a classy, upper middle class psychological cat and mouse game played by Catherine (Fanny Ardant), Nathalie/Marlene (Emmanuelle Béart) and Bernard (Gérard Depardieu). Restless in a marriage lacking desire, Catherine discovers Bernard’s casual infidelity quite by accident. After seeing him exit an upscale gentlemen’s club, she begins frequenting it, looking for clues. There she meets Marlene, who she convinces to strike up an acquaintance with and hopefully date Bernard. Marlene is a dancer/call girl who takes on the alias of “Nathalie” as she begins her role as a sexy girl looking for a steamy affair with a married man. Catherine pays her well and meets her frequently, asking for every detail of their sexual encounters. Impeccable cinematography underscores the cleverly constructed script which deftly illustrates the manner in which identities can be created and manipulated. In these post-post modern times where real life and true feelings may have to be experienced vicariously through the filters of “other” personalities, Catherine tries to find meaning in her life with Bernard through Nathalie. More questions are raised than answered by Nathalie’s special assignment. For all the potentially explosive situations that could arise from such a game, the characters’ feelings are suprisingly submerged under a veneer of sophisticated politeness. Even Bernard’s dalliances with Nathalie are only revealed by conversation. Is Nathalie lying about her involvement? What are Catherine’s true motives? What is Bernard really doing? Catherine becomes obsessed with Nathalie/Marlene and the boundaries that were blurred to begin with now become nonexistent. Thought provoking and subtle, Nathalie rewards the careful viewer.