Bright Days Ahead

If the prospect of yet another French drama about a middle-class marriage in crisis sounds a bit familiar, the difference here is an absolutely regal turn from 65-year-old actress Fanny Ardant. She plays Caroline, a married, recently retired dentist who’s just lost her best friend to cancer. Her daughters are so worried about Caroline they’ve enrolled her in the local seniors’ club, hoping she’ll take up pottery. What no one bargains on is Julien (Laurent Lafitte), a thirtysomething womanising computer tutor who soon has Caroline under his spell. We’ve seen variations on the character before. But Ardant’s performance as the straitlaced wife discovering the delights of carefree desire, yet mindful of the potential collateral damage, is insightful and note-perfect.