Parallel Stories

In search of inspiration for her new novel, writer Sylvie (Isabelle Huppert) spies on her neighbors across the street and fills in their lives based on her own imagination. When the homeless Adam enters her life, those stories unexpectedly begin to take on a life of their own. Soon, the boundary between fiction and reality blurs, until they are barely distinguishable from one another.

For his latest film, double Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi (A Separation, The Salesman) drew inspiration from the famous Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski, creator of the trilogy Trois Couleurs Blue, Blanc, and Rouge. In his “A Short Film About Love” part of the renowned Dekalog series, Farhadi found inspiration in the secret observations. But thematically, the films are also related: both deal with loneliness, human connection, and the question of what moral action is. The music in Histoires Parallelles is composed by Kieslowski's regular film composer Zbigniew Preisner.

Alongside Isabelle Huppert, the star cast includes Virginie Efira, Vincent Cassel, and Catherine Deneuve.