Va Savoir (Who Knows?)

Magical movie, which has brilliant fun with the contrasts between film and theater, love and infatuation, reality and fantasy.

Va Savoir doesn't so much flow as wander, trailing off into drama one minute, slapstick the next; it tries your patience, but ever so gently, masterfully.

It may be the most serene and optimistic film Rivette has made in France. Yet even the art-house audience may undervalue it, miss the beauty, style and wit.

It gets frenetic, in the French way, but it never stops getting amusing. This is what happens when you let grown-ups make movies.

You may find Va Savoir pleasant to sit through, but will it stay with you the next morning? Who knows?

Before the slightly surreal (self-consciously so) climax, there are some fine set pieces, including a disastrous dinner party that amply showcases Rivette's wonderfully light directorial touch.

Lacks the scariness, the mystery, and even much of the curiosity of Rivette's better work.