Muriel, or the Time of Return

Plot Summary

In the seacoast town of Boulogne, antique furniture saleswoman Hélène lives with her stepson, Bernard, who's back from military duty in Algiers. An old lover of Hélène's comes to visit, Alphonse, with his niece Françoise; he too is back from Algiers, where he ran a café. Bernard speaks of his fiancée, Muriel, whom Hélène has not met. The past is obscured by guilt, misperceptions, and missed possibilities. Appearances deceive, things change. As Hélène and Alphonse try to sort out a renewal, everyone seems off-kilter just enough to hint that all cannot end well.

Top Cast

Delphine Seyrig Hélène Aughain

Jean-Pierre Kérien Alphonse Noyard

Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée Bernard Aughain

Nita Klein Françoise

Claude Sainval Roland de Smoke