Four Lovers

This French adultery drama (there may be a redundancy in there) concerns the effortless manner in which two upscale, attractive Gallic couples drift into coupling with each other's partners. Rachel (Marina Fois) is a jewelry designer, married to Franck (Roschdy Zem), a masseur/photographer/author. Rachel's web designer, Vincent (Nicolas Duvauchelle), is married to Teri (Élodie Bouchez), a former gymnast, aspiring actress, and mother of two. The men start seeing each other's respective mates in a fully aware, no-strings-attached unspoken contract, but—bit by bit—jealousies and resentment begin to creep in, as do other unplanned complications. One might argue that Four Lovers supports old-school morality, as the open-marriage idyll goes from sweet to sour to bittersweet estrangement—despite everyone's efforts to be sophisticated and grownup about it. Director Antony Cordier's film, which features graphic sex and casual nudity, does strike a sometimes haunting note of melancholy realism. A strong optional purchase for more adventurous collections. (C. Cassady)