La Femme d’à Côté (The Woman Next Door)

How frustrating that some of Truffaut’s films are these amazing, vibrant, lovely experiences, but so many of them are Just Plain Movies.  Except for a couple of inspired moments (the talk-to-the-camera opening, following the telegram boy around) there’s no zing to this one, no spark.  As a tale of romantic obsession, it does the job, but that’s the key word — it feels like just another job for Truffaut.  As characters, Bernard and Matilde are somehow incomplete and inaccessible.  There are some tidbits of insight, but there’s really not much here you haven’t seen before.  Satisfactory but unremarkable.  Rating: 7

IMDb