mesmerizing

Daphne, 31, Londoner. Busy days, hectic nights, friends, people, lovers, are all welcome distractions from the constant and creeping feeling that her life is somehow stuck. Too young too settle quietly, too old to keep on messing about without aim. One night, an unexpected event slowly but steadily forces her to confront this existential limbo head on, and start looking very closely at the person she has become.

For three months, Gilles, a philosophy professor has been having a romance with Ariane, who is one of his students and a philandering part-time porn model. His daughter, Jeanne, the same age as his mistress, arrives at his house unexpectedly after a violent breakup. Jeanne is recovering from the end of her first real love story and does not seem offended by the age difference between her father and the young woman. They understand each other, because both are determined to live their love stories intensely. The intimate domestic trio discuss love, fidelity and friendship and Arianne frequently becomes jealous when father and daughter spend the evening together. The two women are also bound by a secret they each know about each other.

A discontented Parisian teenager in search of a father with (Mathieu Amalric) and (Fabrizio Rongione) as his, respectively, callous and gentle alternative paternal options, and (Natacha Régnier) as his single mother.

Three stories set in today's Algeria. In Algiers, Mourad, a property developer is wealthy and more or less satisfied with his lot but he does not know how to make happy those close to him; Lila, his confused ex-wife; Rash, his frustrated second wife; Nacim, his disenchanted son. Djabil, Mourad's chauffeur, has accepted to drive Aicha and his father from Algiers to Biskra where the young woman is to be married civilly. Now, Djabil happens to be Aicha's lover. In Sétif, Dahman, a neurologist, hopes to marry Radia at last. But the promotion he expects seems to be put off forever. He is in double trouble when a woman accuses him of serious wrongdoing.

Lucky is an old US Navy veteran of rigid habits and attitudes in a small town. When his routine is interrupted by a sudden collapse at home, Lucky finds himself realizing that his remarkably healthy old age is going to face an inevitable decline and he has to accept it. In that difficult reassessment, Lucky must face up to what he believes in and how much it compares to his neighbors' priorities. In doing so, Lucky finds that his life has its positive side as he searches for some meaning that he can accept.

A middle-aged factory worker's life is upended when she follows her employer to Morocco.

Sixty-year-old Angèle Barberini, an actress, returns to her father's villa, situated in a beautiful creek near Marseille. She left the place twenty years before following a terrible trauma she experienced there, swearing never to come back. But now Maurice, her genitor, who has just been the victim of a stroke is persistent vegetative, with no hope of recovery and her presence is needed. Her two brothers, Joseph, an embittered retired worker, and Armand, the manager of the local restaurant, welcome her. They must look to the future and decide what measures to take concerning the villa and the restaurant. But the past, on the other hand, has its say.

A faithful Jehovah's Witness is forced to shun her own sister because of a religious transgression. As the separation draws out, she starts to question the meaning of God's love.

A father tries to rekindle his relationship with his son after years of absence and lack of communication. He takes him on a car ride across northern Norway, hoping it is not too late.

Isabelle, Parisian artist, divorced mother, is looking for love, true love at last.

Etienne comes to Paris from Lyon to study cinema, meets many new friends and falls under the thrall of the mysterious Mathias.

Five thirty-something men in as many separate segments struggle to grapple with the relentless absurdity of their respective existences.

Somewhere in Santiago at a dimly-lit nightclub, Orlando, the kindly and well-off owner of a textile company, locks eyes with Marina, a hopeful singer and the roughly half-his-age love of his life. But, unfortunately, after Marina's birthday celebration and a night of passion, Orlando falls gravely ill--and by the following morning--he dies in hospital. In the wake of her companion's untimely death, Marina will soon realise that, from now on, everything is brought into question: her involvement in Orlando's death, their unconventional relationship; and above all, her right to mourn her beloved deceased. In the end, what was Marina's crime; a deed so hideous that would rob a fantastic woman of her respect, her dignity, and ultimately, her identity?

Ava, 13, is spending the summer on the Atlantic coast when she learns that she will lose her sight sooner than expected. Her mother, Maud decides to act as if everything were normal so as to spend their best summer ever. Ava confronts the problem in her own way. She steals a big black dog that belongs to a young man on the run and later they have a big adventure.

Broke, with nothing but her cat and doors closing in her face, Paula is back in Paris after a long absence. As she meets different people along the way, there is one thing she knows for sure: she's determined to make a new start and she'll do it with style and panache.

Nathalie teaches philosophy at a high school in Paris. She is passionate about her job and particularly enjoys passing on the pleasure of thinking. Married with two children, she divides her time between her family, former students and her very possessive mother. One day, Nathalie's husband announces he is leaving her for another woman. With freedom thrust upon her, Nathalie must reinvent her life.

Lionel has brought up his daughter, Josephine, on his own since his wife's accidental death. Over the years, their life together has grown to resemble that of a couple. Josephine has now reached the age at which the roles begin to be inverted. She is now the one who seems to want to take care of her father. Lionel knows that he has one more thing to do: to convince Josephine to make her own way in the world, to become a woman and to leave him.

A group of German construction workers start a tough job at a remote site in the Bulgarian countryside. The foreign land awakens the men's sense of adventure, but they are also confronted with their own prejudice and mistrust due to the language barrier and cultural differences. The stage is quickly set for a showdown when men begin to compete for recognition and favor from the local villagers.