The first cut is the deepest

Mila and Javier, both renowned surgeons and both passionate about their work, have been madly in love for the past 10 years. They have always taken great care to preserve their extraordinary love for each other and refuse to succumb to the routine of everyday living.

Now,  Mila’s unexpected pregnancy, combined with increasing pressure from work at the hospital, drives Javier to drink more heavily and he ends up being suspended. Faced with his demons, Javier drifts further and further away from Mila. Yet, when their relationship is under serious threat, Javier is ready to do whatever it takes to win Mila back.

In her second feature film, director Marion Laine liberally adapts the novel Remonter l'Orénoque by Mathias Énard. Originally the female protagonist was an Argentinian immigrant, but when Laine viewed Olivier Assayas’s Carlos she switched the roles in order to cast Édgar Ramírez. It was Ramírez who suggested Juliette Binoche for the role of Mila.

À cœur ouvert (An Open Heart) is a classic melodrama that deals with very modern themes from within the dynamic of a codependent relationship. Filmed on location in Toulouse and at Igazu Falls in Argentina, À coeur ouvert is a romantic film that engages the heart and mind in equal measures.