TREAT ME LIKE FIRE
A young woman falls for a roguish conman and gets swept up in the alluring but dangerous world of underground gambling in this sexy, stylish romantic thriller from France.
Toiling day and night at her family’s busy bistro, Ella (NYMPHOMANIAC’s Stacy Martin) leads a regimented, humdrum existence. One day, an unexpected opportunity for excitement and romance presents itself in the form of Abel (A PROPHET’s Tahar Rahim), a caddish but charming hustler who quickly sweeps the straight-laced waitress off her feet and into his seedy world. Abel introduces Ella to the exclusive gambling halls and big spenders of Paris’s underground gaming scene, and almost overnight, the formerly straight-laced waitress is intoxicated by the illicit thrill of betting and winning big. Yet it doesn’t take long for Ella to start seeing the dark sides of Abel and the dangerous world to which he belongs. Finding themselves in the crosshairs of some unsavory characters, Ella must find a way to get herself and Abel out of their risky lifestyle— but is the couple already in too deep? First-time director Marie Monge vividly captures both the sleazy glamour and ever-present danger of couple’s descent, presenting a complex portrait of addiction and romantic obsession that calls to mind Martin Scorsese’s gritty crime dramas while adding a seductive, distinctly Parisian flare.
CAST: Stacy Martin, Tahar Rahim
In Competition: First Feature Award
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