PLACE VENDOME (1998)
NICOLE GARCIA
Plot
Sleek and stylish thriller for which Catherine Deneuve bagged the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival. As the drink-sodden wife of a leading Paris jeweller, Deneuve has to gather her wits pronto when her husband commits suicide, leaving her to offload a stash of ill-gotten gems or face financial ruin. Such obstacles as the Russian mafia fade into the background as, through a series of flashbacks, the film becomes a study of a complex woman facing an emotional crisis. Skilfully made, with Deneuve at her very best.