This 1992 film—the second in French filmmaker Eric Rohmer's Tales of the Four Seasons cycle—is not quite the chilly story that its title would suggest. Félicie (Charlotte Véry) is a single mother who has two lovers but feels little passion for either—and Félicie knows passion. In the opening scene, Félicie frolics in youthful abandon with Charles (Frédéric van den Driessche), an American she falls for while on holiday. But a careless mistake—she gives him a wrong address, and doesn't have his—means that they will never reconnect despite her best efforts, although his presence continues to permeate her life as she raises their child. The sunny warmth of carefree youth and emotional ecstasy transmute into the cool colors of winter as Félicie tries to make the best of it by choosing one of her paramours, but—in the tradition of willful Rohmer women—finds it hard to settle for second best. Rohmer made a number of small, intimate films about the foibles of people in love—both young and not-so-young—with wit and understanding, and this remains one of his best. Félicie is a delightfully contradictory woman: headstrong, petulant, indecisive, and flighty, but dedicated to her search for true love, and actress Véry invests the character with a spark that shines even when Félicie is at her most exasperating—eventually leading to one of the most magical and compassionate endings in all of Rohmer's works. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)
A Tale of Winter
Big World, 114 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95, Apr. 14 Volume 30, Issue 2
A Tale of Winter
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