Two adolescent sisters explore their house's attic and stumble across a copy of Charles Perrault's "Bluebeard" and read it as it is enacted onscreen in Catherine Breillat's latest. In the story itself, sisters Anne (Daphne Baiwir) and Marie-Catherine (Lola Creton) are turned out of school when their father dies and cannot pay tuition (in a nod to the Marquise de Sade's JUSTINE). Local aristocrat Bluebeard (Dominique Thomas) is looking for a bride and does not require a dowry which suits Marie-Catherine just fine despite the fact that Bluebeard's previous wives have vanished into thin air. When Bluebeard goes off on one of his long trips, he gives Marie-Catherine the keys to the castle and only asks that she not open one particular door but we all know what happens... The film's look has been criticized as being an effect of the low budget and the high definition lensing but the film compares wonderfully with the works of Walerian Borowczyk (and perhaps even Eric Rohmer) whose BLANCHE was reportedly a visual inspiration. Some blame may lie with Breillat's academic approach which seeks to highlight all the symbols and signifiers of the tale through not entirely subtle dialogue. If you are a Breillat fan, you should not be put off by this but you won't find any of the taboo-breaking sex scenes one expects from Breillat.