Intimate Strangers (2004 film)


Intimate Strangers is a 2004 French film directed by Patrice Leconte. An off-beat romance, it tells the story of a troubled young woman who in error starts telling her problems not to a psychiatrist but to a lonely tax consultant in the office next door.

Plot

William, a reserved and solitary tax consultant in Paris, is surprised when a distressed young woman comes into his office and starts telling him her marital problems. Her name is Anna and her appointment was in fact with Dr Monnier, a psychiatrist on the same floor. Before William can clear up the misunderstanding, she says she will come again next week and leaves. The next time, she gives even more intimate details and William again fails to make clear that he can only handle her tax problems.
When she does not reappear in the following weeks, William worries if she is alright and consults Dr Monnier. The shrink guesses where his interest lies and does not interfere. William also confides in his former partner Jeanne who, as a woman, quickly guesses what Anna is up to. Anna does come back to William's office and a strange relationship develops, where she tells tales of her life and sexual activities while he listens sympathetically. Her husband appears and threatens William, who is not deterred.
Eventually Anna, who has been getting less neurotic and taking more care of her appearance, tells William she is leaving her husband and moving away. He wishes her well. A few months later, he moves his business to the south coast, where he has discovered she is working as a ballet teacher. She arrives at his office and starts telling him her problems.....

Cast

The film was shown in competition at the 2004 Berlin Film Festival.

USA release

acquired the United States distribution rights of this film and gave it a limited U.S. theatrical release on July 30, 2004; this film went on grossing $2.1 million in the United States theaters, which is considered a good result for a foreign language film. Ruth Vitale was pleased with this film's performance in the United States market. Paramount Pictures was developing a comedic Hollywood remake of the film, with Hilary Swank attached to star and Kelly Fremon Craig writing the script.