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France, Belgium, Ireland · 2013
Rated PG-13 · 1h 44m
Director Jérôme Bonnell
Starring Emmanuelle Devos, Gabriel Byrne, Gilles Privat, Aurélia Petit
Genre Drama, Romance
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Between two representations of a play she performs in Calais, broke actress Alix meets a mysterious Irishman on a train ride to Paris. Drawn towards him, she follows him into the metropolis and loves him for a few hours before facing the possibility of an entirely new life.
Just a Sigh's day-long liaison sustains interest largely for the appeal of Devos and Byrne, its accomplished leads — they share what is known in the rom-com lexicon as "chemistry," and this quality invigorates their time together, in bed and out.
When Jérôme Bonnell allows his two magnificent leads to work at the sparse dialogue, he invokes a powerful, elemental sense of frank, sexual discussion and high-end flirtation, imbuing the relationships with a maturity that's loathsomely rare in films today.
New York Daily News by Elizabeth Weitzman
If you’re wondering how much heat you’ll find in this French romance, the title offers an unexpectedly frank clue.
Devos keeps her character’s unreliability and self-disappointment relatable, and falling backwards into a new lover is something that Devos captures beautifully with her uncertain facial expressions and hungry eyes.
The Dissolve by Jordan Hoffman
The connection that these two are allegedly making must be taken on faith. Little is shown or spoken to sell it.
Los Angeles Times by Sheri Linden
The film is a bracingly romantic drama that's alive with a mature sense of passion and mystery.
Washington Post by Stephanie Merry
Without much to go on, Just a Sigh lives up to its name. It disappears without a trace.
The New York Times by Stephen Holden
The movie is beautifully acted, and the chemistry between Ms. Devos, who is 49 (her character is 43), and Mr. Byrne, 63, is heated in a sadder-but-wiser, grown-up way.
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