A photographer saves his neighbor during a suicide attempt.

Antoine (Benoît Poelvoorde) is a photographer who’s drowning his acute sensitivity in alcohol. He see no one but Mattéo, the son of a neighbor, on whom he bestows all his affection. With his eye constantly behind the viewfinder (he’s a bit of a voyeur), he discovers his neighbor Elena balancing on the roof and takes a long series of pictures. When she jumps off, he leaps to save her. This begins a friendship, supported by the respect they have for each other’s shadow. Elena goes back to work (as an instructor at a drug center), back to playing scales on the piano. But one evening, Antoine invites her over to show her the photos he hasn’t stopped taking of her behind her back...

In this film by Fabienne Godet, Antoine has the humor of a man who’s lost hope: it’s what makes him likeable right away and what troubles Elena, for whom it’s all about tragedy. Poelvoorde confirms his talent as an actor; the cynicism of his character’s attitude can be appreciated, but because it is so systematic, it gets boring. Of course the issue the director raises is interesting – how much distance should an artist put between himself and the lives of those he uses as primary material? Unfortunately, it all goes on a bit too long and the ending, which is too artificial and posed, leaves the audience feeling completely indifferent.