Directed by Abbas Kiarostami

Starring Juliette Binoche, William Shimell

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Iranian maestro Abbas Kiarostami<.strong> steps outside his home country, but not his usual philosophical domain, in this Italian-shot, somewhat literary two-hander – with dialogue in French, English and Italian.

British opera singer William Shimell plays a writer who meets a mysterious, nameless woman (a mercurial Juliette Binoche) and ends up accompanying her on a rural jaunt.

After discussing notions of reality and fakery, the pair start role-playing as a married couple – unless, of course, they really are spouses pretending to be new acquaintances.

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Kiarostami keeps us guessing as the crisp dialogue moves through every conceivable variation on marital unease. This deceptively slim film might not be Kiarostami at his most heavyweight, but it’s a rewarding and mischievous slice of cerebral entertainment.

Jonathan Romney