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Private Fears in Public Places

Play trailer Poster for Private Fears in Public Places 2007 2h 3m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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76% Tomatometer 67 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Six Parisians engage in a lonely and mostly unsuccessful search for real love: Nicole (Sabine Azéma) and Dan (Pierre Arditi) are engaged to be married, but his drinking drives them apart; Thierry (Isabelle Carré) flirts with a religious co-worker (André Dussollier) who has a secret vice; Gaelle (Lambert Wilson) answers numerous personal ads, but her dates never show up.

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Private Fears in Public Places

Private Fears in Public Places

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Critics Consensus

The premise isn't anything new, but director Alain Resnais' attention to detail and smooth camerawork gives this movie a delicate edge.

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Critics Reviews

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Glenn Kenny Premiere Magazine 01/04/2008
4/4
What makes Private Fears so extraordinary is not just how it completely upends the expectations that have come to seem inherent in such a structure, but how Resnais constantly pushes the boundaries of his, well, let's call it visual depiction. Go to Full Review Desson Thomson Washington Post 10/27/2007
What reaches us, most of all, are the hidden, unmet longings that keep the film's Parisian characters from finding true happiness. Go to Full Review Nick Funnell Little White Lies 07/20/2007
Not one he'll be remembered for, but a cut above. Go to Full Review Carlos Marañón Cinemanía (Spain) 11/04/2020
2/5
Intersecting stories of heartbreak and loneliness seen a thousand times. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Mattie Lucas The Dispatch (Lexington, NC) 06/06/2019
3/4
It is a beautifully crafted work, with lovely cinematography by Eric Gautier and a sharp screenplay by Jean-Michel Ribes, that finds hope in a world where life doesn't always work out the way it was planned. Go to Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion 08/27/2009
A graceful roundelay of disconnection Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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isla s @RT89656869 09/02/2022 I liked this film, for the way the various characters manage to open up to their partner/friend/relative, the thoughtful dialogue and there's the ocassional amusing situation that I enjoyed too. I liked that it tackled basic themes, of isolation, aging and so on but in a decent way. Perhaps a little sentimental but its not an awfully cheesy film as such. Its a good, thoughtful film, a little bittersweet but generally its a film I'd recommend. See more 03/02/2014 "The tenderness with which Resnais observes their efforts makes for genuinely enchanting entertainment." See more 08/16/2013 Ayckbourn in French: what was I thinking? It's very stagey, and not a little weird. I don't think we really connected with this one, despite good reviews and festival awards. See more 07/25/2013 Good performances can't quite atone for the script's stage origins. See more 08/18/2012 Interlinked relationships story so not too original, but watchable. See more 08/06/2012 Private Fears in Public Places looks beautiful but it lacks in substance. See more Read all reviews
Private Fears in Public Places

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Cast & Crew

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Alain Resnais

Director

Sabine Azéma

Charlotte

Pierre Arditi

Lionel

Laura Morante

Nicole

Lambert Wilson

Dan

Isabelle Carré

Gaelle

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Private Fears in Public Places

A scene from the film "Private Fears in Public Places." A scene from the film "Private Fears in Public Places." A scene from the film "Private Fears in Public Places." A scene from the film "Private Fears in Public Places." A scene from the film "Private Fears in Public Places." Private Fears in Public Places (2006) Private Fears in Public Places (2006) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Six Parisians engage in a lonely and mostly unsuccessful search for real love: Nicole (Sabine Azéma) and Dan (Pierre Arditi) are engaged to be married, but his drinking drives them apart; Thierry (Isabelle Carré) flirts with a religious co-worker (André Dussollier) who has a secret vice; Gaelle (Lambert Wilson) answers numerous personal ads, but her dates never show up.
Director
Alain Resnais
Producer
Bruno Pèsery
Screenwriter
Alain Resnais, Jean-Michel Ribes, Alan Ayckbourn
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Studio Canal
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 13, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$134.2K
Runtime
2h 3m