Kline, playing Mathias Gold, arrives in Paris expecting to take over an apartment bequeathed him by his late father, with whom he had not had much of a relationship. Mathias has no money, has been an alcoholic and is a thoroughly dispirited individual. What he finds is one more disappointment.

Living in the apartment is the elderly Mathilde Girard, played with charm and authority by Maggie Smith, who past 90 still enjoys life and her abode. It turns out that not only is there a law that prevents a buyer from taking possession and evicting a tenant but Mathais is compelled to pay rent to Mathilde in order to retain the apartment in which she has lived for a long time. He once again is furious with his father for giving him an property under conditions that dash his hopes for using it to boost his fortunes. Mathias is given permission to stay in the apartment for a time.

Alas, there is a further complication. Mathilde’s daughter Chloë, portrayed by Kristin Scott Thomas, takes a disliking to Mathias because of his determination to sell the property, and sparks begin to fly. It is here that the screenplay begins to telegraph events of the past that are destined to be revealed. You are likely to begin to suspect them, but Horovitz is skilled at putting them together and getting performances from his stalwart actors who keep one riveted to their on-screen skills.