What it’s about
After knocking on the wrong door one day, a troubled, beautiful woman named Anna (Bonnaire) divulges her life story to William (Luchini), an accountant leading a bland, repetitive existence, when she mistakes him for the psychiatrist down the hall. William is so mesmerized that he allows her to think he is the shrink, and by the time the truth comes out, they have forged a bond of mutual dependency which makes them continue their sessions.
Why we love it
An ingenious French treat with psychological underpinnings, director Leconte's “Intimate Strangers” is a meditation on the randomness of life and fate. Though the conceit may sound a bit contrived, Leconte brings it off, thanks to a subtly intelligent script and dead-on performances by Luchini and and the entrancing Bonnaire. Also look for Michel Duchaussoy, who provides professional wisdom (and comic relief) as the real doctor. In the company of these “Strangers,” you'll be deeply affected.