Hawaii International Film Festival 2009

Carefree loner Jeanne spends her time rollerblading through Paris and job-hunting, a nuisance she endures to indulge her widowed mother Louise (Catherine Deneuve). Aware of her daughter's half-hearted employment attempts, Louise contacts an old colleague and secures an interview for her daughter. Unfazed by the disastrous interview, Jeanne resumes rollerblading and unexpectedly meets Franck. A relationship ensues; the couple move-in together. When tragedy strikes, a depressed and battered Jeanne returns home and concocts a lie about being attacked on the train by Jewish teens, the news spreads and causes a national uproar. Suspicious of her daughter, Jeanne's mom reaches out to her former lover who invites them to spend time with his family in the country. While there, Jeanne meets the lawyer's grandson who also struggles with feelings of isolation and depression. He sees right through Jeanne and challenges her to confess. Director André Téchiné's fictional offering on true story expertly dissects the psychological circumstances and consequences surrounding this bold lie in a rich drama. - Tanisha Brown