Two Pianos

Like the best musical compositions, Arnaud Desplechin’s Two Pianos takes viewers on a wild emotional ride. There are high notes and low notes and enough unexpected shifts in tempo to strike a chord. Mathias (Francois Civil), a concert pianist who has spent the last few years teaching abroad, returns to Lyon after being summoned by his former mentor, the highly celebrated piano virtuoso, Elena (Charlotte Rampling). She wants (more like demands) him to perform with her in what she considers a win-win: he can revive his career while helping her gently retire from hers.