A film of soft, insidious unease and astounding twists, Assayas's most complex and compelling work is a closed circle of psycho-sexual intrigue that plays like a mystery minus a crime. In shock after her mother's sudden death, warehouse forklift driver Tina (Sophie Aubry) seeks out the rich, enigmatic businessman father she has never known and discovers a half-sister, Lise (Judith Godrèche). Hungry for self-knowledge and presenting herself for emotional exploitation, Tina infiltrates the smoothly controlled, secretive world their father has created for Lise and replaces her in an affair with their father's lawyer Constantine (Bernard Giraudeau). Assayas keeps the viewer off balance with audaciously abrupt space/time shifts and delayed disclosure of key information, mirroring Tina's mercurial emotional state, while the cold-light-of-day visuals and imperceptible, implacable camera choreography fix the characters under intense scrutiny.-Gavin Smith