The Vanishing Point

Lucie (Sylvie Testud), an enthusiastic art history student is specialising in the 18th century painter Watteau, under the esteemed tutelage of professor Dussart (Jean-Pierre Marielle), a specialist of the period. One recurring figure in the artist’s oeuvre is a woman whose face is never seen; only her back is ever depicted by the painter. With this enigma, Lucie has found the crux of her research, which will draw her deeper into Watteau’s world than she could have ever imagined. Laurent de Bartillat’s film is a beautifully shot work, paying great attention to detail to the tableaux on offer. With a background in art history and iconography, the director instils an air of authenticity through rigorous research in a film that evokes the beauty and mystery of the art world with passion and great intrigue. The actors navigate through the director’s atmospheric world with typically captivating performances one has come to expect from the great screen veteran Jean-Pierre Marielle and the darling of French independent cinema, Sylvie Testud.