In the wake of screen adaptations by such acclaimed filmmakers as Andrzei Zulawski and Manoel de Oliviera, director Christophe Honoré updates Madame de Lafayette's novel, La Princesse de Clèves while placing the story in a contemporary setting. Junie (Lea Seydoux) is new in Paris, and there isn't a man in the city that hasn't noticed. Chief among her admirers are teacher Nemours (Louis Garrel) and gauche fellow student Otto (Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet). As passions flare, it becomes readily apparent that Nemours maintains a rather liberal approach to student-teacher relationships.
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide