La surprise (Out of the Blue) (2007)

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A woman ends one relationship only to dive into another, very different one in this comedy-drama from French filmmaker Alain Tasma. Marion (Mireille Perrier) is a middle-aged schoolteacher who has spent twenty-two years in a marriage to Paul (Robin Renucci) that's grown a little worse every day,… More A woman ends one relationship only to dive into another, very different one in this comedy-drama from French filmmaker Alain Tasma. Marion (Mireille Perrier) is a middle-aged schoolteacher who has spent twenty-two years in a marriage to Paul (Robin Renucci) that's grown a little worse every day, and one day after a typical failure to display some consideration to her she decides she's had enough. Marion walks out on her marriage en route to a dinner party with Paul, which angers her husband as well as her teenage daughter Justine (Chloe Coulloud). Marion doesn't look back and goes about setting up a flat of her own, and while looking for furnishings she meets Claude (Rachida Brakni), a French-Algerian antique dealer who is more than happy to make her a deal. Justine and Claude become fast friends attending dance classes and searching for antiques at sales in the countryside, but one night Claude reveals her deeper feelings when she tries to kiss Justine. Justine is excited, but unsure how to react, having never been romantically involved with a woman, while Claude, who has just gotten out of a relationship, isn't sure if she should be bold or cautious. Eventually the women give in to their attraction to one another, but they discover this new relationship won't be easy, and Justine isn't about to help. La Surprise (aka Out Of The Blue) was originally produced for French television, and later appeared at a number of film festivals, including the 2010 San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi