Before the Winter Chill

Paul, a renowned brain surgeon, lives with his wife Lucie in a warm, orderly home with their son. Beneath the routine, a subtle sense that something important is missing gnaws at him, giving the impression that his life may be mislaid. This quiet balance sets the stage for later disruptions.

A bar worker recognises Paul and claims he once performed procedures beyond his current specialty. Paul tries to dismiss the memory as a misunderstanding, but the claim unsettles him and foreshadows a crossing of boundaries. The encounter plants a seed that will reawaken a past life he believed he left behind.

Pairs of red roses begin arriving at Paul’s workplace and then at home, a symbolic and unsettling reminder that someone is watching. The gifts feel more like warnings than tokens of affection, nudging Paul toward suspicion and self-doubt. The roses set a creeping tension that unsettles the couple’s sense of security.

In a tense florist doorway moment an exchange with a young woman intensifies Paul’s agitation. She claims she was buying flowers for the bar worker, prompting Paul to misread intentions and lash out in anger. The incident deepens his fragility and distrust, and cements his sense that something dangerous may be unfolding around him.

The prospect of crossing into a world Paul has avoided becomes tantalizing. The notion of danger and forbidden connection glosses over his rational defenses, whispering that a life less secure might offer something meaningful. He begins to contemplate boundaries he has long resisted crossing.

Paul encounters Lou, the enigmatic woman at the center of the whispers and warnings. His initial apology for past collisions grows heavier with an unspoken need for connection. What starts as cautious contact deepens into a compelling, dangerous attraction.

Their meetings move from tentative exchanges to a charged relationship that unsettles Paul’s carefully constructed life. Lou’s warmth and vulnerability draw him away from his family’s orbit, even as the responsibility he feels as a husband and father keeps tugging at him. The line between professional decorum and personal longing blurs.

Lucie worries about her sister’s financial hardship and her daughter-in-law’s growing sadness, adding pressure on Paul’s already fraying domestic life. Paul's responses reveal a widening gulf between his inner life and the family he professes to protect. The couple’s conversations hint at a fraying trust and an uncertain future.

In intimate park moments, Paul and Lou's connection deepens, while Paul's daughter-like granddaughter and Lou’s own fragility reveal vulnerabilities that complicate their affair. The environment feels safe yet charged, exposing the fragility of Paul’s restraint. The risk of exposure grows with each encounter.

Lou’s past is exposed: she is an orphan who helped manipulate wealthy men. The police enter the narrative, reminding Paul that his proximity to Lou brings him dangerously close to scandal. The investigation grows more tense as the danger Paul faces becomes real.

A tense confrontation unfolds in Lou’s flat, where the implications of Paul’s closeness to Lou are laid bare. Lou is found dead in her bath, transforming the drama into a tragedy that forces Paul to confront the consequences of his choices. The moment reshapes his sense of self and responsibility.

Back in the rhythm of his routine, Paul returns to work and social life, where a cassette from Lou’s world is slipped into his coat pocket. The police permit him to keep it, making the recording a tangible relic of the life he briefly touched. The object lingers as a quiet reminder of compromise and temptation.

On a quiet terrace, Paul sits with the cassette as family voices fade into the background. A voice from the tape sings a slow, sad song that seems to answer the questions about desire, fault, and consequence. Lucie’s silent gaze frames a closing meditation on memory and the costs of longing.