A gentle yet enthralling romantic tale, Strangers is sadly marred by both poor editing and often invisible subtitles.
Anna knocks on the wrong door and mistakes William, a tax accountant, for a therapist. The error is realized too late and they find themselves in a deeply personal relationship. Anna reveals her troubled marriage, doubts and fears to the stoic yet titillated man while William, who has lived his life within the walls of his dead parents' apartment, becomes addicted to the possibilities of having an existence of his own.
Patrice Leconte (Monsieur Hire, The Hairdresser's Husband) is on familiar ground with this story of a man trapped in helpless admiration of a woman, but whereas those two films were taut, Strangers feels loose, and trimming several minutes would be a vast improvement. As well, the white subtitles often vanish. But Sandrine Bonnaire and Fabrice Luchini are so skilled at their craft that they silently carry the emotional impact of the scenes.