Private Property is a carefully paced character study that focuses on a divorced mother (Isabelle Huppert) and her squabbling twenty-something twin sons (real-life brothers Jérémie Renier and Yannick Renier). When Huppert's character decides she wants to pursue a romantic relationship with a neighbor, her small household enters a downward spiral that ends with a tragic third-act twist. As always, Huppert is superb in the complicated lead role, but the Renier brothers prove equally adept at conveying their characters' unusual relationship with their mother, with whom they interact like an older sister. Filmmaker Joachim Lafosse isn't yet in the class of Claude Chabrol or François Ozon, but his direction is assured and involving.

Shelf Talk: Many of the film's reviews were positive, but the real selling point is Huppert, who has made a habit of choosing very challenging roles over the past three decades. Francophiles and foreign-film aficionados are aware that Huppert's presence in a film means it is usually a cut above the standard dramatic fare and it will be challenging if not downright disturbing. Private Property is both.