Rohmer | 1986 | France

Considered by many to be his greatest film, this was a Rohmer blind spot for me until now. Knowing people loved it, I’d saved it for “the right moment”. Ironically so, it turns out, as the central character is also waiting for something she can’t articulate or read in the playing cards she finds on the ground as she moves through the world. I knew how it ended, alas, because I had read the story of Rohmer (captive always to his preference for natural light) waiting a year for favourable weather conditions to allow him to capture a pivotal shot. The foreknowledge did little to lessen the impact – it’s a beautiful moment in a beautiful film.