Friday Night

Starring: Valerie Lemercier, Vincent Lindon

RS: 3of 4 Stars

2003 Drama

Here's another movie involving strangers in France. But the gifted director Claire Denis (Beau Travail) turns it into a mesmerizing erotic odyssey. Laure (Valerie Lemercier) is stuck in a Paris traffic jam. She gives a ride to Jean (Vincent Lindon). The attraction is immediate. They separate, find each other again and end up in a hotel, where Denis explores their bodies with a curiosity that skirts porn to find a bittersweet truth. The result is uniquely seductive.

PETER TRAVERS
(June 19, 2003)