Mina Tannenbaum

Cutting a swath through the personal histories of two young Jewish Parisians, aspiring painter Mina (Bohringer) and media wannabe Ethel (Zylberstein), this stylish, perceptive and wise film chronicles a friendship formed in childhood, strengthened by the romantic yearnings of adolescence, and tested by adulthood's inevitable parting of the ways. Reflective Mina is filled with anxiety, while Ethel can turn on the brash exterior - and though the mutual reliance forged in their teenage years has given these women shelter from their insecurities, it may not survive their common interest in the arrogant art dealer Dana (Ecoffey), whose own designs are cloaked beneath an abrasive exterior. Bohringer and Zylberstein work wonders, the chemistry of their relationship laying the foundation for the film's cumulative emotional impact. Its themes are the inescapable weight of the past, the damage unwittingly inflicted by the family's embrace; the betrayal involved when one dear friend who has been with you all your life is suddenly no longer there.