When he misses his train back from an out-of-town trip, Marc meets the enigmatic Sylvie. They spend the night walking, smoking, talking and, by morning, falling in love. Marc takes the train back to Paris after making a date with Sylvie in the Jardin des Tuileries a few days later. But then he has a heart problem and misses their rendez-vous. Later, Marc meets the fragile Sophie, who completes his life. Except he doesn’t know she is Sylvie’s sister.

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Among an essentially female filmography that includes The School of Flesh, Farewell, My Queen and the upcoming Diary of a Chambermaid starring Léa Seydoux, due out in 2015, Three Hearts marks a different step for director Benoît Jacquot. Centered around a male protagonist played by Benoît Poelvoorde, anchored in social realism and tinged with gentleness, the film is captivating from its first mysterious minutes, to an impressive soundtrack by Bruno Coulais. A melody that is in turn harrowing and romantic and gives true character to this suspenseful romance with accents of modern tragedy. With well-crafted dialogues within a screenplay that prefers suggestion over words, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Chiara Mastroianni offer a well-balanced, subtle love triangle that avoids pathos with finesse.