On the night of New Year's Eve, a small group penetrates into the room of an old hotel in ruins. Carmine, the oldest of the group, poses a challenge to one of the men, Furio: he has 4 months to restore the hotel and inaugurate it with great pomp. Aware of the difficulties but anxious to prove the point, Furio accepts encouraged by his wife Margo who believes that this assignment will allow the couple to rediscover the lost momentum.
Acting
Argento's Margo—desperate belief wearing beautiful masks.
Direction
Ardant's first feature: confident, unhurried, cruelly patient.
Production
The hotel itself: rotting grandeur that breathes.
Director
Fanny Ardant
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Ardant shot in an actual abandoned Romanian hotel; the decay required no production design.
Part of a wave of French actresses turned directors (Denis, Binoche, Beart) exploring female perspective on male collapse.
FR
