Private Fears in Public Places

"For six strangers in search of love, the City of Lights can be a very lonely place."

2006 2h 0m FR

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 75

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Seven lonely lives in Paris: a middle-aged estate agent who believes a colleague is sending messages in video tapes she loans him; his co-worker whose Bible is close at hand in times of stress; her late-night charge, an angry, nasty bedridden old man; his son, a patient bartender; the bartender's best patron, an ex-soldier who's lost his moorings while his fiancée looks for a large flat for them; and, the estate agent's much younger sister, who answers personals and waits in cafés with a red flower pinned on her jacket. Will any connect? Can open hearts trump fears?

“For six strangers in search of love, the City of Lights can be a very lonely place.”

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Cast

Sabine Azéma
Charlotte
Laura Morante
Nicole
Pierre Arditi
Lionel
André Dussollier
Thierry
Lambert Wilson
Dan
Isabelle Carré
Gaëlle
Claude Rich
Arthur (voix)
Michel Vuillermoz
architecte émission TV

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alain Resnais
Writers: Jean-Michel Ribes
Languages: English, French
Countries: France, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 46% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 20 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alain Resnais, shot by Éric Gautier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Snow. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Isaac Solemon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sabine Azéma and Laura Morante and Pierre Arditi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alain Resnais directs. Éric Gautier behind the camera. Mark Snow scores. Isaac Solemon cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France, Italy. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 46% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 20 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
4International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.
5Directed by Alain Resnais, shot by Éric Gautier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Mark Snow. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Isaac Solemon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Sabine Azéma and Laura Morante and Pierre Arditi carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "For six strangers in search of love, the City of Lights can be a very lonely place.".
10IMDB entry: tt0498120 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 75 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.