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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
INTIMATE STRANGERS
A disheveled, somberly-dressed woman arrives late for an appointment and upon
entering the office of tax attorney William Faber, immediately spills her
guts, revealing she’s going mad trapped in a celibate marriage to a gay man.
William is too embarrassed to tell her she has made a mistake - the
psychiatrist is further down the hall. On her return visit, he confesses the truth, but she blithely dismisses his warning and returns,
unscheduled, for her unorthodox treatment. She soon reverses their relationship by interrogating
him, even questioning his taste in ties. Obsessive-compulsive William
is taken aback as she makes herself at home, rearranging his desk top. But
not only does he look forward to her visits, he becomes an amateur sleuth,
secretly following her home. Besides Anna's growing
obsession with him, wallflower William oddly has a striking Carrie-Anne
Moss-look-alike ex-girlfriend (Anne Brochet) pining for him as
well.
The essence of the film lies in the mock therapy sessions, which are
contemplative, expositional, and slow. (There’s a reason why there haven’t
been many films largely centered on the psychiatrist/client relationship.) Interest is sustained, though, by the ominous atmosphere, especially Pascal Estève's
undulating Basic Instinct-like score. (Filmed in dark, muted colors, there is even a touch of Rear Window -
William’s window looks out onto a hotel room.) But with both Anna and
William’s motivation for maintaining their charade a mystery and a red
herring or two thrown into the plot, the benign ending may disappoint. However, the seductive premise and the sly interaction between
actors Sandrine Bonnaire and Fabrice Luchini should appeal to director
Patrice Leconte’s fans, especially those of Man on the Train. Kent Turner
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