Lani's plot begins to unravel when the American Ambassador takes her to a society ball.
This is not meant as a criticism of the actor's appearance he does co-own a respected winery, after all, and lost his eldest son Guillaume to viral pneumonia in 2008 , but with flashbacks in which he is shown as a once lithe young man, there's an odd sense that Suzanne has not so much accepted his subsequent expansion as refused to acknowledge it, and that Ozon is asking us to turn a similarly blind eye.
The first of Depardieu's giggling fumbles is rather fun, and contrasts with Deneuve's increasing irritation and impatience at her mistakes.
The level of detail is good, but the contrast varies from punchy in daylight to disappointingly washed out in some of the darker scenes, and it's here that the grain is at its most visible.
Though fearing a sort of reliving-past-glories event, embarrassing for actors and viewers alike, it was a relief that I was proved wrong in my expectations.
Lani, with no knowledge of Chino's departure to America, follows Chino to Manila to tell him about her pregnancy.