While being accused of the murder of a young woman outside of his apartment complex, a well-mannered, immaculately composed peeping Tom (Michel Blanc) observes the daily rituals of his neighbor (Sandrine Bonnaire) who discovers his voyeuristic behavior and seems to return his affections. Patrice Leconte's Monsieur Hire, from a novel by Georges Simenon, is elegantly made and exactingly directed, with a wonderful score from Michael Nyman, and a plot that takes a surprising trajectory for such a simple premise.

*** 1/2 out of ****

A young boy is enraptured by the carnality of his local hairdresser and vows to marry one when he grows up, and does just that, engaging in a torrid, fairy-tale but doomed love affair with another hair stylist. Made with a particular Euro sense of humor and sensibility, though heralded by some, Patrice Leconte's film is so slight as to barely fill a short film but made with wonderful set design, camerawork, and the amiable set of actors.

** 1/2 out of ****