orson-13

"Outlander" is impossible not to binge on, especially the first two seasons, which are magnificent. A time travel story, in which a 20th century woman arrives in 17th century Scotland, it offers acting by Caitriona ("Katrina") Balfe as good as any performance I've ever seen by an actress in 30+ years as a film critic. Sam Heughan as her Highlander lover is epic. Music, landscapes, cinematography, a vast and wonderful cast make this a winner, though some middle seasons are too melodramatic and slow. Sophie Skelton as the daughter needed diction lessons - she manages to convey mood and emotion but rushes her speech, which was correctable by the various directors. Overall, a great escape series, highly imaginative, with story-telling power that pulls the viewer in.

This 2005 film was surprisingly good, thanks to very deft and often subtle direction by Emmanuelle Bercot, who co-authored the script. She establishes an intense mood, a dark song of love, that nevertheless remains rooted in ordinary reality, despite occasional histrionics by one or another of its leads. A superb supporting cast (including Noemie Lvovsky) provides human touches and Emmanuelle Seigner, as the adored diva, and Isild Le Besco as the smitten fan, approach one another with a mix of curiosity, fear, and affection. This theme has been done before, notably in Tom DiCillo's sentimental and funny "Delirious," but "Backstage" has a European air, like Chopin's "Tristesse" Etude. Bercot is careful not to let it go over the brink, keeping the mood disciplined and the story within the boundaries of reality, despite the younger woman's often neurotic behavior. A relationship movie that is intriguing.