Seventh Heaven (1998)

Mathilde (ALIAS BETTY's Sandrine Kiberlain), a pretty, young Parisian married to a successful surgeon, is undergoing a crisis. She steals toys in department stores, faints for no apparent reason, goes AWOL from her job, and is unable to let her husband Nico (FRIDAY NIGHT's Vincent Lindon) satisfy her sexually. She is then mysteriously approached by an eccentric therapist who offers hypnosis and feng shui as a solution. Once her husband—who is used to dealing with illness in a clinically rational and logical manner—realizes that she has achieved a kind of metamorphosis, he begins to experience an identity crisis of his own... In this follow-up to his highly acclaimed A SINGLE GIRL, Benoît Jacquot shows a keen understanding of marital power dynamics--the funny, poignant, strange dance of two lovers growing in different directions, each at a different pace, in order to rediscover each other.

Slow but well oriented story

Mathilde incarnated by deligthfull Sandrine Kiberlain is a troubled housewife and profesional woman that carries several issues regarding her chilhood, shes unnable to reach sexual climax with her husband Nico ( great actor Vincent Lindon, one of my faves )Nico is a very respected Doctor that doesnt give too much importance to the fact that Mathilde doesnt have intense sexual desires for him, even is kinda comfortable with the situation, Mathilde also steals little toys from stores without apparent reason and collapses ocasionally , she meets a psychologist that uses Feng Shui to help her to deal with her troubles , go deeper into her mind to let get out her bad memories from chilhood and get deshinibited for sex , all her troubles seems to disapear and Nico suspect that the reason is perhaps Mathilde is cheating on him , he tries to enter his wife world getting sessions with another psycologist too but he cant assimilate that sessions and end understanding that all as a joke, finnaly the solution is communication they doesnt have to understand completelly each other they just have to keep together and respect and love and they will maintain always a home and family
HM August 17, 2005

Mesmerising

This little known french film is no masterpiece, but those who choose to watch it will certainly enjoy themselves. Sandrine Kiberlain, most fragile and adorable, gives a lovely performance as the housewife who resorts to shoplifiting as a cry for help. She is met by a hypnotist who treats her. The hypnosis scenes are most enchanting, and Kiberlain is very lovely while "under", giving out more content to thesubject of a woman easily influenced in her acting, than in the script itself.

Vincent Lindon is well supporing as the husband who finds himself "betrayed" by his woman, who allowes someone else deep inside her mind, where he has never been.

Even if the script and the directing is conservative, the acting justifies buying this small pleasing picture. April 10, 2001

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