The Hairdresser's Husband

At twelve, Antoine leans against a hairdresser's chest and settles the single goal of his life: to marry a hairdresser. Years later he walks into Mathilde's shop, has his hair cut and proposes. She accepts. From there the film builds no plot; it watches two people spend their days in a small shop. The subject is not love but happiness being impossible to sustain. Antoine wants nothing, does not work and is content with that; Mathilde wonders how long it can last. The ending is the answer to her wondering. The form is nearly a single location: the shop, the mirror, the customers, and the moments when Antoine dances. Michael Nyman's music and Arabic melodies bind the scenes together. Patrice Leconte directs. Jean Rochefort had been known mostly for comedy until then, and this became one of the most cited roles of his career. The film was nominated for nine Césars including best film and won for sound. Anna Galiena plays Mathilde. Who it is for: viewers who like small-scale French love stories and narratives of obsession. Who it is not for: anyone wanting story; the film is deliberately uneventful and closes on a single decision.