1799. When The Marquise of O, a young widow, is abducted by soldiers, a Russian commander suddenly appears to rescue her. Later, she realizes she is pregnant but doesn’t know how she conceived a child. Thus, she announces that she will marry the father, should he present himself.

Éric Rohmer followed up his Six Moral Tales films with a sumptuous look at monstrous desire. The first of his rare forays into costumes drama, this faithful adaptation of Kleist’s novella—luminously shot in natural light by Néstor Almendros—delves into the dark, thorny nature of romantic relations.