Plot Summary

From Olivier Assayas, the director of Irma Vep and L'eu Froide, comes Les Destinees, a tender and sophisticated period piece starring Emmanuelle Béart and Charles Berling. Based on the novel by Jacques Chardonne, this epic film takes place in France from 1900 to the '30s. Focusing on the life of Jean Barnery, the film is divided into three 60-minute chapters. The first chapter is dedicated to Jean's first wife Nathalie and the scandal that causes him to abandon his career as a pastor in the insular village of Barbizac. The next chapter centers on his second wife and true love, Pauline, for whom he gives up his family fortune so that they may live a simple romantic life in a chalet nestled in the Swiss Alps. The third chapter, which explores with philosophical curiosity the effects of war and economy on community and industry, focuses firmly on Jean's primary love, porcelain. With beautiful period costumes, touching dialogue, and a convincing display of the passage of time, Les Destinees features some unforgettable sequences. At a Barbizac ball, the camera lingers in the chandelier as dancers swirl in a dizzying waltz below. In the Swiss Alps, Jean paddles an exquisite wooden rowboat as Pauline swims in azure water. Later, the film depicts the Limoges porcelain factory in detail with its mammoth coal-fueled kilns offset by skilled artisans carefully painting the fresh china. In addition, the Barbizac brandy business, managed by Pauline's uncle, gets a good amount of play, with the amber liquor being ladled out for tasting during its lengthy aging process. This film was included in the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2002 festival organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City.