Overview
A summer of flirtation and self-discovery unfolds at a picturesque lake.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- languid
- intimate
- quiet afternoon
- summer evening
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an exceptionally precise, witty, and literary study of desire whose outdoor naturalism makes its unusual romance feel universal.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Aurora's conversations with Jérôme turn his flirtation with Laura and attraction to Claire into an ongoing verbal analysis of desire.
Jérôme's fixation on Claire's knee gives a single body part unusual narrative and visual prominence.
The final bachelor holiday at Lake Annecy unfolds through slow conversations, walks, and small changes in attraction.
Jérôme's growing desire for Claire is not matched by her corresponding affection, unlike his earlier flirtation with Laura.
Films like Claire's Knee, and why
My Night at Maud's
shared conversational romantic intrigue, moral ambivalence, and French New Wave naturalism
Pauline at the Beach
shared languid summer setting, literary dialogue, and shifting romantic desire
The Green Ray
shared talkative relationship drama, emotional triangulation, and understated erotic tension
A Summer's Tale
shared art-house romance, behavioral observation, and ambiguous attraction
Movie Details
- Director
- Éric Rohmer
- Release Date
- 1970-12-11
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (304)
Cast
- Jean-Claude Brialy
- Aurora Cornu
- Béatrice Romand
- Laurence de Monaghan
- Michèle Montel
- Gérard Falconetti
- Fabrice Luchini
- Sandra Franchina
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Claire's Knee about?
- During a leisurely Alpine holiday, a soon-to-be-married diplomat turns a fleeting fixation on a young woman's knee into an elaborate meditation on desire and self-deception.
- What is Claire's Knee like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Claire's Knee as slow, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Claire's Knee violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Claire's Knee.
- What did critics think of Claire's Knee?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an exceptionally precise, witty, and literary study of desire whose outdoor naturalism makes its unusual romance feel universal.
- Which films are like Claire's Knee?
- Films with a similar feel include My Night at Maud's, Pauline at the Beach, The Green Ray, and A Summer's Tale.
- How long is Claire's Knee?
- Claire's Knee runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Claire's Knee?
- In United States, Claire's Knee streams on Criterion Channel.
