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Review

Director Chabrol casts a sideways glance at class warfare in this somewhat off-center thriller that examines the tentative relationship between the modern aristocracy and their domestics. Bonnaire stars as the newly appointed maid for Bisset and her industrialist husband Cassel. She seems a perfect new hire. But what seems like coy respect for her new employers slowly gives way under the strain of bitter secrets and a spotted past. Into the picture walks Huppert (radiant as ever), as a smart-ass postal worker with a rocky past of her own. The atmosphere is tense throughout as Bonnaire's perfect veneer begins to crack and the family becomes increasingly intolerant of her rebelliousness and her budding friendship with Huppert. Chabrol explores this territory with characteristic understatement and a "classical" panache that makes the film feel more "arty" than it really is, but his intricate study of character makes this captivating viewing nonetheless. (French with English subtitles)