They have a brief affair, and then each goes his own way
Chronology
Mathieu lives in Paris, Alice in a small seaside town. To wash away his melancholy, Mathieu goes to the thalasso where he happens to find Alice.
Winter Moon Rising Written by Michael Alan Levine & Samuel B Levine
When Mathieu gets a call from the theater director whose production he left, the director’s voice is played by director Stéphane Brizé himself. This French film by Stéphane Brizé is a sensitive drama/romance in which old lovers meet again in a different phase of their lives.
Guillaume Canet and Alba Rohrwacher are a well-matched pair, whose chemistry was essential to the film’s success
I’m a little torn because the film’s depiction of their (re)relationship is well-nuanced and feels true, although there are moments of subtle humor and lovely interplay. For example, there’s a wedding scene where two men "sing" (whistle) like birds to each other, speaking quite eloquently and magnetically – I’d watch this spin-off.
However, when added to the very familiar rhythms of the story, none of this has the weight to justify this unusual treatment
However, the film is painfully slow, emotionally terse, and at nearly two hours long, it exceeds what would have made it a more effective running time. Brizé’s set-ups and long takes are beautiful but rather sterile, like the inner lives of his sick characters, which are aptly portrayed.