SECRET DEFENSE

France 1998 - DCP - 170 minutes, in French with English subtitles

Director: Jacques Rivette

Screenplay: Pascal Bonitzer, Emmanuelle Cuau, Jacques Rivette

Producers: Christian Lambert, Martine Marignac

Cast: Sandrine Bonnaire, Jerzy Radziwilowicz, Grégoire Colin

Print Courtesy: Cohen Film Collection

Monday, July 11 6:15 P.M. | RR2

Wednesday, July 13 3:30 P.M. | RR1

“A chess puzzle devised by a grand master” (Jonathan Rosenbaum, Village Voice), SECRET DEFENSE is built on the twin pillars of Rivette’s unique filmmaking and Sandrine Bonnaire’s immense performance. When a brilliant scientist discovers that her father did not die accidentally but was murdered by a family friend, she swears vengeance and tries to protect her brother. Instead, she soon finds herself deeply embroiled in a mystery of lust and intrigue. And when she discovers the truth about her father, it threatens to shake her very foundations. Rivette’s unconventional (of course!) late thriller builds its own world as Bonnaire’s Sylvie fathoms its depths. “A thriller of the mind, beautifully made, emotionally powerful”—The Daily Telegraph. New 4K restoration. —Ken Eisen