My Night at Maud's (1969)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

My Night at Maud's (1969) -- E. Rohmer

My first Rohmer. This is a scintillating treatise on religion, sex, chance, and fate that is, admittedly, mostly talk. The unnamed central character (Trintignant) spends an absorbing night with a totally disarming woman (Fabian) who might be his perfect match, alleviating his normal reserve, but she is an atheist and he wants to be a practicing Catholic (though his actions do not always conform with the faith's principles). What is most interesting here is trying to figure out how the various philosophical points mesh or do not mesh with the character's decisions -- he does seem more willing to force circumstances to conform to his will than to rely on chance and grace (as he claims). The luminescent cinematography aids and abets Rohmer's focus on naturalistic and conversational detail.