The Disenchanted

Benoit Jacquot, one of the most promising of the current crop of French filmmakers, paints a fascinating portrait of a young woman faced with the cruel realities of adulthood. The title is taken from a quote by Arthur Rimbaud, the 19th-century poet maudit and main inspiration for Beth (Judith Godreche), a 17-year-old student who, like her idol, no longer believes in all manner of enchantments. Her boyfriend (Malcom Conrath) wonders at her fidelity and coldly suggests she have sex with the ugliest man she can find as a test of her love. Beth agrees out of spite, but backs out at the last minute, only to receive a far more compelling proposal at home: Her aili...