A psychological drama nominated for three of France’s national film awards has been chosen as the May offering from the Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) film club.

Director Denis Dercourt’s stylish, subtle and highly assured film is a pleasingly suspenseful psychological drama in the style of Hitchcock.

It tells the story of Melanie (Deborah Francois), the smalltown butcher’s daughter whose ambitions as a pianist are dashed during a childhood audition for the Conservatory when one of the jurors, famous concert pianist Ariane Fouchécourt (Catherine Frot), distracted her by signing an autograph.

A decade after this unwitting but fateful slight, shy, quiet Mélanie happens to find herself working as an intern for the law firm owned by Fouchécourt’s husband Jean (Pascal Greggory).

Her diligence and dependability lead him to hire her as a governess to his son, and soon enough she’s firmly ensconced in their home and helping out as Ariane’s page-turner as the pianist prepares for a big comeback concert.

Is Mélanie plotting revenge? Nursing a crush — and if so, on whom? Or is she merely hoping to bask in some reflected glory?

Dercourt’s cool, extremely elegant and often witty film remains admirably ambiguous until the very final scenes.

‘The Page Turner’ will screen, in French with English subtitles, on Thursday at 7.30 p.m. in the Tradewinds Auditorium at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. Tickets can be reserved in advance at info@biff.bm or can be purchased at the door. Tickets are $10, or $8 for BIFF Film Club members.