Who's in It: Catherine Frot, Déborah François, Pascal Greggory
The Basics: When young piano student Mélanie (François) blows an important competition because diva pianist and judge Ariane (Frot) distracts her, she gives up music for good, methodically locking away that part of her life. Ten years later, however, finds Mélanie grown up and interning at Ariane's husband's law office, not entirely by coincidence. Then Mélanie is asked to be the family's nanny and Ariane's concert page-turner …
What's the Deal? Take The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and French-ify it. Take out the loud music cues, turn the temperature down to ice-cold, amp up the sinister pregnant glances, and make it about total destruction that doesn't involve actual murder — and you've got this glacially entertaining revenge film.
Prurient Interest Alert: There's also some definite sly sexual tension between the younger woman and her older prey. Again, because this is bloodless and cruel-minded, it's not like they're reenacting a scene from The Hunger or anything, but appreciators of lesbian subtext will be pleased.
Cool Cast: Fans of French actors will remember François from L' Enfant, where she played a character as far away from this one as you can get. Meanwhile, Frot is the kind of middle-aged actress they seem to only have in France now, the kind that doesn't seem to mind that they're getting older and that haven't Botoxed themselves into a scary mask-like state.
For Fans of: Stuff like Read My Lips, A Matter of Taste and other euro-genre thrillers.