Claire (Catherine Frot) is a midwife in her late 40s who approaches her own life with the same unflappable calm with which she oversees the births of others. But it’s a way of living that has settled into routine and self-denial. Béatrice (Catherine Deneuve), meanwhile, has never seen the point of denying herself pleasure. She chomps lasciviously on steaks and slurps red wine while Claire, a teetotal vegetarian, toys with a green salad. The two women reconnect when Béatrice, the former mistress of Claire’s father, turns up out of the blue with a terminal disease and an account to settle. A low-key Dardennes-style realism is seasoned with just a touch of melodrama; two formidable actors attack their roles with the same gusto that Béatrice deploys when faced with a nice bottle of Graves.
