On a deserted road in the south of France, a handsome Italian gent (Sergio Castellitto) wordlessly rescues a haggardly beautiful woman (Jane Birkin) from an automotive breakdown. She’s on her way to reunite with an old-timey circus that she left under traumatic circumstances decades earlier; he attaches himself to the same concern and starts benignly stalking her while engaging various clowns, acrobats, and jugglers in philosophical dialogues about the mystery and nature of performance. This 2009 feature is as precious as it sounds but also irresistibly charming. If you’re a newcomer to the oeuvre of New Wave hero Jacques Rivette, this is a highly accessible port of entry. In French with subtitles.