Synopsis

Two troubled marriages collide in Montreal when a handyman repairing an apartment becomes entangled with the restless young wife who lives there. Her husband, absorbed in business and uncertain about their future, crosses paths with the handyman's emotionally distant wife, a former actress haunted by old memories. Their shifting attractions expose the secrets, disappointments, and lingering desires within both relationships.

Factoids & Trivia

• Robert Altman served as a producer, continuing his long professional association with the filmmaker.

• The movie was filmed in Montreal, whose architecture and wintry atmosphere give the story a dreamlike, slightly detached setting.

• Julie Christie's performance earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress at the 70th Academy Awards in 1998.

• Lara Flynn Boyle's character is named Marianne, a reference to Christie's role as Lara in Doctor Zhivago (1965). The two performers appear together for the first time here.

• Mark Isham composed the score, which uses a mellow jazz palette to complement the film's themes of romantic uncertainty and emotional distance.

• The film was released in the United States on March 20, 1998, following its 1997 production year.