Plot
In Majorca, in 1823, a French general, Armand de Montriveau, overhears a cloistered nun singing in a chapel; he insists on speaking to her. She is Antoinette, for five years he has searched for her. Flash back to their meeting in Paris, he recently returned from Africa, she married and part of the highest society. She flirts with him, and soon he's captivated. His behavior is possessive, insistent. Then, it is her turn to become obsessed. Letters, balls, scandal, a kidnapping, and an ultimatum bring her to the cloister and him to melancholy. Whose steel proved sharper? Is it tragic or grotesque?
Written by
Pascal Bonitzer, Christine Laurent, Honoré de Balzac
Directed by
Jacques Rivette
Crew
Production Countries
Italy, France
Production Companies
MiBAC, Canal+, MEDIA Programme of the European Union, Pierre Grise Productions, CNC, Région Ile-de-France, ARTE France Cinéma, PROCIREP, CinéCinéma, Cinemaundici
Languages
Français, Español
Awards
4 nominations