Jean-Luc (Berling) is a cosmetic surgeon who lives a seemingly ideal life in Versailles, with a beautiful young wife, Isa (Régnier), and burgeoning practice. Then, unexpectedly, Jean-Luc's father Maurice (Bouquet) — also a respected doctor who'd abandoned his family years before to practice medicine in remotest Africa — unexpectedly re-enters his son's ordered world, turning a comfortable existence upside down.

Fontaine's "My Father and I" is the kind of dense, subtle psychological drama you rarely see anymore, seeding the fertile territory of father-and-son relations with a layer of intriguing mystery. Jean-Luc's simmering resentment toward his prodigal dad is barely contained, but he still allows him to stay, a decision that leads to a series of life-altering revelations and upheavals. Berling excels as Jean-Luc, but it's veteran Bouquet who steals the film with his expertly shaded portrayal of Maurice.