An Englishman is staying in a quiet provincial town in southern France. He's entering middle age and he's at a crossroads in his life. A classical pianist, his early promise has not been sustained. His marriage has collapsed in acrimony.
A young woman walks into the town, a luminous figure in white. It is Sophia, for whom the Englishman is waiting.
Ben Hecking's gripping film 'Provenance' explores the attraction between an older man who has known disappointment and a young woman on the verge of maturity. For him she holds a promise of love and renewal — and she's as much an ideal as she is real.
Ben Hecking is a rare talent in film-making, a director who is also a cinematographer. On 'Provenance' he excels in both areas. The tempo and depth of the drama are underscored by Hecking's atmospheric imagery, with expert editing by Andonis Trattos.
'Provenance' is remarkable for building deep characterisations but with economical use of language. This is the type of 'pure cinema' that Hitchcock spoke about, which uses mainly visual cues to put the audience into the mind of the characters.
Christian McKay delivers a compelling performance as John Finch, the reserved musician who has given too much to his music. As the action starts, we find him an outsider in the French town and without direction in his life. A chance encounter with another English visitor, played with edgy skill by Harry Macqueen, builds the sense of unease.
With Sophia's arrival, John's character becomes warmer and more relaxed. Yet Christian McKay shows us the checks that are hard-wired into John's personality, making it impossible for him to open out fully — in contrast to the spontaneous, ardent Sophia.
Charlotte Vega creates a radiant portrait of Sophia, a free spirit who follows her impulses and exposes herself to great damage. With her psychological insight and instinctive command of character, Ms Vega expertly navigates a spectrum of emotions, from playful humour to inconsolable distress. Charlotte Vega is a born screen actor.
