Hungarian violinist and composer Franz von Vecsey’s Valse triste strikes a delicate chord in Stéphane Brizé’s subtle and exquisitely acted adaptation of Eric Holder’s novel. Vincent Lindon and Sandrine Kiberlain, themselves married but separated in real life, are drawn together, despite and because of their different socio-economic backgrounds. Jean is a rugged, second-generation mason, married, and a dedicated family man who’s never ventured beyond his provincial home town; Véronique is a delicate, unwed substitute educator and Parisian-bred former violinist. Jean provides for his family; it’s who he is. But a random encounter with his son’s transient teacher begins a relationship with roots in David Lean’s Brief Encounter, and though it doesn’t bloom into talkie Rohmer territory, the lovers’ waltz is quietly heartbreaking.
