After years abroad, anthropologist Paul Dedalus returns to France to find an explosive emotional time bomb awaiting him. Memories of key moments in Paul’s life that in retrospect have come to define him at a fundamental level, come flooding back to him…his mother’s suicide when he was 11; a rash teenage choice in Russia where he gave away his passport to a Jewish boy to save him from persecution; and most of all, his mad college-days love affair with Esther, a beautiful young woman with an intimidating degree of self-confidence. Yet over time Esther’s independent streak devolves into frailty, and as both Paul and Esther spend time with other lovers, their almost perfectly poetic connection becomes a daily struggle.

A major prize winner at the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes, Arnaud Desplechin’s epic coming-of-age tale portrays first love as a candid, sensual and unique experience that leaves a mark lasting as long as life itself. – Andres Castillo

SACD PRIZE