Va Savoir

Rivette revisits familiar ground with this leisurely tale of romantic intrigue and possibly dark deeds among members of a theatrical troupe and their various acquaintances, but while it certainly lacks the edge of Paris Nous Appartient, it nevertheless exerts immense charm. Balibar is the Parisian diva returning after three years in Italy in a production of Pirandello's Come tu mi vuoi; Castellitto is her lover, leading man and manager, jealous that she's in touch with her (now married) ex, seeking out an apocryphal play by Goldoni, and drawn to the daughter of a woman who may have the text. As ever, it's about different kinds and levels of performance and falsehood, and shifts from 'realist' elements to something more fancifully theatrical (a delightful duel - by drinking). Funny, sentimental but ironic, and wondrously assured.