Comme une image (Agnès Jaoui, 2004)

This was titled Look at Me for the English audience, which neatly missed the point of the title already telling you the central premise of like father, like daughter. It's populated with a self-centred closed circle of literary and arty middle-class couples, with the main attention on the overweight ignored daughter of a novelist who can't see beyond his next review. They, equally self-regarding, form what there is of a dramatic hub.

Both Jaoui and her partner Bacri, reprising much of his warmer draft on emotional unawareness from Le goût des autres, are on less solid ground here. But, all said, it's really not bad. What will always save writing of this quality, even when lacking focus, is the truthfulness of its characterisations. You go away unfilled but not displeased, which doesn't necessarily apply to all pieces of this ilk.

6/10