Alice et Martin

Andre Techine’s film is beautifully shot but has a novelistic feel, eschewing the usual cinematic conventions for its fractured time sequence, forcing the viewer to make the leaps between scenes and then figure out what happened in the gap. All the through-line one needs is provided by the luminous face of Juliet Binoche as Alice, enough to make one believe in any sort of romance, even one as offbeat as this. Well-acted from top to bottom, and engrossing despite its narrative quirks, this film fills the eye while having a lot on its mind, telling little while showing a lot. Love and murder, family and business, art and fashion, city and country, all in a stew; any plot summary would be beside the point. (1998, IFC/T, n.) *7*