Just a Sigh

Director Jérôme Bonnell's French feature film can't help but bring to mind David Lean's 1945 classic Brief Encounter. But its Gallic take on two strangers drawn to one another against a backdrop of trains, who find a temporary oasis of love in a world of anguish, has some unusual shadings. Emmanuelle Devos stars as Alix, a 43-year-old actress appearing in an Ibsen stage production in Calais. Not yet paid for her work, Alix has to hustle back home to Paris for an audition, hoping to get support (and maybe cash) from her live-in lover, a documentary filmmaker who is off on some adventure. But the two don't connect, Alix has lost her phone charger, she has no funds (save for train fare and coffee), and her credit card is being denied. One soon gets the idea that this is typical of Alix's life, where talent and artistic inspiration outweigh practical living. But then she and Douglas (Gabriel Byrne), a mystery man in his 60s, exchange looks on a train, and Alix is soon lost in the intrigue of his sad eyes and vulnerable if wary bearing. Thus begins a journey for two people who know nothing about one another, yet see what they need to see at this moment in their lives—possibilities. The two stars bring a sad, experienced soulfulness to their grownup characters, giving Just a Sigh a welcome sense of poignancy in our youth-obsessed film culture. Recommended. (T. Keogh)