'Autumn'

Enamored of all things French and noir, American director Ra'up McGee has written a love letter to both. His film begins with too much pretension but matures into a slinky, sexy piece of mood music, wherein beautifully icy French people kill, love, and deceive each other in the name of . . . well, style. And also history: Autumn's major players knew each other as children. The story, which is appropriately tricky, involves Jean-Pierre (Laurent Lucas) as a hit man on the outs with his line of work. He gets mixed up in the trouble of Michelle (Iréne Jacob), his childhood friend and adulthood lover, with whom he witnessed something terrible and formative. (So is it his trouble too?) It's not clear exactly what Michelle does for a living, though explosives play a role, as does a metal briefcase with mysterious and murder-worthy contents. Together and apart, the couple attempt the difficult task of remaining alive while never having enough information.