Forget love. Dennis Decourt's menacing drama about a concert pianist (Catherine Frot) and her young page turner (Deborah Francois) is all about revenge. But revenge isn't that simple, and love also comes into play. In a typical genre film, the revenge seeker requires a final monologue: I hate you, I am destroying your life because..., a speech that often gives the victim time to escape.
But the storytelling in The Page Turner is so tightly controlled that the delicate pianist (Frot) never comprehends that the charming young woman at her side is out to get her. Only the audience is in the know -- which makes for a thrilling and disturbing sense of participation.
Deborah Francois, who made her film debut in the Dardenne Brother's L/Enfant(The Child0, gives an utterly chilling performance.
The Page Turner made it's U.S. film premiere at Lincoln Center's 12th annual Rendez-Vous with French Cinema.
