Belle

Delvaux again reveals his preoccupation with illusion and reality. Mathieu (Bideau) is a successful academic and family man until, profoundly threatened by his daughter's imminent marriage, he retreats into a barren landscape inhabited by a beautiful, silent stranger (Delorme). What develops is a love story turned surreal thriller, an investigation of the male ego and sexual paranoia. However, overlong and with some very obvious symbolism (a dull wasteland for isolation; windblown grass for sexual fulfilment; guns, trains and furs for good measure), the film is visually disappointing and fails to sustain its interesting ideas.