Following a whirlwind romance, barge captain Jean marries country girl Juliette. They board the L’Atalante to embark on their new married life together. But within the boat’s cramped confines, shared with a small crew and an abundance of cats, the relationship begins to founder.

Completed shortly before his untimely death, Jean Vigo’s sole feature is awash with lyrical superimpositions, as its tale of doomed love drifts along the complex waterways of Paris. Regarded as one of the best films ever made, L’Atalante imbues the reality of working-class lives with poetic imagery.