Trois ponts sur la rivière (1999)
Directed by Jean-Claude Biette

Film Review

A one-time contributor to Les Cahiers du cinéma and assistant to Pier Paolo Pasolini on Oedipus Rex (1967), Jean-Claude Biette carved out a modest career for himself as an auteur filmmaker, winning acclaim from the critics for his idiosyncratic, intensely humanist brand of cinema. One of his later works is this slowly paced but strangely compelling drama revolving around two young people - admirably played by rising stars Jeanne Balibar (Va savoir) and Mathieu Amalric (Le Scaphandre et le papillon) - struggling to make sense of their lives.

Trois ponts sur la rivière is one of those gentle, contemplative dramas that somehow manage to hold your attention without resorting to cheap melodramatic legerdemain or excessive self-indulgent aristry. Biette's approach is more subtle even than Eric Rohmer's, and the relationship between the two main characters - a reclusive history teacher and an old flame - proves to be far more complex than you might initially think. Both characters are on a separate journey to bring a sense of purpose to their lives, one that involves crossing the three metaphorical bridges of the film's title. The fact that Mathieu Amalric and Jeanne Balibar were in a relationship at the time adds to the film's authenticity. They had previously worked together on Arnaud Desplechin Comment je me suis disputé... (ma vie sexuelle) (1996) and are naturally well-suited, their obvious chemistry being something that Biette exploits masterfully, perhaps seeing something in their fragile relationship that they might not have been aware of at the time.

Film Synopsis

Arthur, a history teacher living in Paris, is on the brink of a journey of self-discovery.  Living alone for some years has made him self-centred and unfriendly - he argues with his colleagues and brushes aside his next-door neighbour's gestures of friendship.  Then Arthur's outlook changes when he runs into a former girlfriend, Claire.  Their former passion rekindled, Arthur invites Claire to accompany him to Lisbon, where he plans to track down a reclusive historian.   As the task proves more difficult than expected, Arthur finds his relationship with Claire is under great strain, and a few chance encounters with his suspicious neighbour only heightens his anxiety...