Jean-Baptiste, a filmmaker, and Elie, an actress, fall in love. To fight their unhappiness, they cling to their children: Jean-Baptiste to his film and Elie to her young son.

A hidden gem from Philippe Garrel’s haunting filmography, this pocket melodrama meditates on loss, filmmaking, and the obstacles of an unstable relationship. Borrowing biographical details from the French auteur’s own love story with the singer Nico, L’enfant secret is a work of intimate poetry.