(France—2006—directed by Denis Dercourt)

A young girl named Mélanie is a bundle of anxiety as she waits to audition for her entrance to a prestigious musical conservatory. Without revealing here what happens during her examination, the film next jumps forward through the years to show us the grown Mélanie (in a stunning performance by Déborah François) taking a job as a file clerk at a law firm, and not at all by chance. Mélanie’s full motives are gradually exposed by director Dercourt with the calm, icy precision of an Alfred Hitchcock, a feat which could only be achieved with such an astounding degree of control by a filmmaker of confidence, skill, restraint and remarkably sophisticated – if sardonic – wit. The Page Turner perfectly combines elements of mystery, melodrama and suspense into an elegant and visually intoxicating portrait of an obsession that knows no bounds. Cannes, Toronto and Telluride Film Festivals. (85 min.)

“Exquisitely chilling.” -Karen Durbin, Elle