Writer/director Christophe Honoré’s latest film asks: At what point does an open marriage become problematic? Married couple Maria (Chiara Mastroianni) and Richard (Benjamin Biolay) have always had such an arrangement, but she’s the only one who has sought out other partners. Quite frankly, there’ve been a lot, and they are always men in their 20s. Richard, feeling more than a little inadequate, decides they need to have a serious discussion about how much longer this will persist, and what is at the bottom of her need to seek out younger sexual partners?

Not wanting to be bothered with this examination, Maria checks into the hotel across the street for the night. From her hotel room window, she watches Richard inside their apartment, and the two separately embark on a night of introspection. Over the course of the early hours, she and Richard are both visited by representations of Richard when he was in his 20s (Vincent Lacoste), as well as Richard’s childhood piano teacher, the older Irène (Camille Cottin), who was his only lover before Maria. 

Young Richard and Maria had an intellectually stimulating relationship and wild chemistry, but over the years he gave up music and became a bore. Thus, Maria has been trying to get back that same sexual feeling again with younger men. In Richard’s back story, he seduced his piano teacher when he was only 15, and they carried on a love affair for several years before he left her for Maria. Would the more mature woman have been a better partner for Richard all along? Honoré’s script balances drama with deadpan humor, especially in the performances by Mastroianni and Lacoste. 

On a Magical Night utilizes a well-worn Dickensian trope (Wasn’t there once a movie called Ghosts of Girlfriends Past?), but thankfully Honoré keeps it fresh by including several surprise appearances. Most notably, the main apparitions, Young Richard and Irène, have as fully developed arcs as Maria and Richard.

Perhaps the oddest thing about Honoré’s film is the timing of its release, during the current worldwide quarantine due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Maria and Richard could be like who knows how many couples who have undergone intense evaluations of their relationships while they are confined to their homes with no one else to talk to. Or, how many of us have sat home alone recapping every relationship we’ve ever had? Anyone who has gone through that would definitely feel for this couple. I’m recommending it to anyone who is feeling introspective right now.

On a Magical Night is a treat, especially for a standout scene featuring the underused Barry Manilow song, “Could It Be Magic,” which I have gone back and rewatched several times during my quarantine.