Sandrine Kiberlain is a fragile beauty and wonderful French actress who is not as well known here as she should be. Perhaps “Mademoiselle Chambon” will help rectify that oversight.
She plays Véronique Chambon, a refined primary school teacher and violinist who finds herself attracted to Jean (rugged Vincent Lindon), the working-class father of one of her pupils.
And 50-ish Jean, who is happily married to a woman who works on an assembly line, discovers he has romantic feeling toward Veronique.
Their tentative affair begins innocently. They meet when Jean picks up his boy at school. Then he agrees to address Veronique’s class about his construction job, and she asks him to come to her small apartment to fix a window.
Don’t jump to conclusions just because this is a French film. The resolution of their unlikely mutual admiration will come as a surprise.
Working from a well-thought-out script co-written by director Stéphane Brizé, the two stars deliver impressive, understated performances. In a particularly poignant scene, Jean takes his 80-year-old father to a funeral home to choose a coffin for his eventual demise.
Perhaps my brief synopsis will entice you to see this beautiful film. I guarantee that if you do, you will be as impressed with Mademoiselle Kiberlain as I am.