L'Année Juliette

A chap picks up the wrong suitcase from an airport carousel. From this creaky plot device evolves a haunting, salutary anecdote about Camille, an anaesthetist, who takes advantage of the suitcase confusion to end a too-pressing relationship by pretending it belongs to a fictional girlfriend called Juliette. The ideal illusory Juliette soon becomes more engrossing to Camille than disappointing, awkward reality; but the scriptwriters spring a nasty surprise on him just as the film ends. Luchini's delicate rendering of amiability turning to obsession and bewilderment, together with the movie's fitful comic streak deflect a full appreciation of just how black a tale this is.