During the audition, one of the judges, Ariane Fouchécourt (Frot), carelessly distracts young Mélanie by tending to some paperwork.  Mélanie's concentration suffers and the audition falls to pieces.  The tears quietly stream down her cheeks as she leaves the school.  Ariane, an acclaimed pianist, is unaware of her actions and continues with her day.

Some years later, Mélanie is a young woman who hasn't changed one bit.  She is rigid and calm, elegant and polite -- barely swinging her arms when she walks, barely opening her mouth when she talks.  It is as if all the emotion has been drained out of her.  Yet, somewhere, deep within, one senses a smouldering ember dying to be freed.

She applies for a secretarial job in a lawyer's office.  That lawyer is Jean Fouchécourt, husband to Ariane -- a connection that is clearly not a coincidence.  Soon, Mélanie squeezes her way into their personal lives, becoming nanny to Ariane's young son, Tristan.

What this film does sublimely is to tighten the screw ever so patiently, reminiscent of the very best Hitchcock masterpieces.  We know that something is coming, but we are not sure when or how.  "The Page Turner" teases us with possibilities, misdirecting us with music and standard cinematic expectations.  However, Dercourt never takes the easy route.  Instead, he plays with the audience, virtually allowing us to interact with the screenplay.

Due to the understated nature of events, the film's success lies in the incredibly capable hands of a fabulous new star, Deborah Francois.  What she manages to craft here is nothing short of Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter.  The role is not as extraverted as Hopkins' famous incarnation, but the maniacal intelligence and hidden rage is every bit the equal.  The role is as tricky as I have ever seen, but Francois pulls it off with apparent ease.  To be that restrained... To be sharply stoic... To be flatliningly calm... And still to manage such intensity requires the highest level of skill.  Deborah Francois gives one of the best performances I've seen in years.

Catherine Frot is the other principle actress in the film, delivering a naive and vulnerable turn as the acclaimed pianist with stage-fright issues and an ignorant self-consumption.  She is completely unaware of the vengeful danger that lives right under her nose.

Dercourt directs this film with confidence and patience.  He trusts the material and the cast will be able to pull it off.  He trusts the audience will pick up on the subtle nuances.  It is an outstanding effort that truly earns the inevitable Hitchcock comparisons.  "The Page Turner" is a riveting and intense thriller about the nature of cold-blooded revenge that can fester for a lifetime.