Paris, 13th District

Jacques Audiard's latest is a playful look at young relationships in the Parisian high-rise district of the title. Amiable, if rather ambling and familiar, it has a sweet centre and is elevated by cinematographer Paul Guilhaume's elegant black and white camerawork.

Newcomer Lucie Zhang makes an impact as Émilie Wong, who has been living in her gran's flat since the older woman went into care, subletting part of it to supplement her call centre income. Audiard, co-writing with Céline Sciamma and Léa Mysius, adds a flick of freshness to his film by mixing up the chronology a little, so we meet Émilie when she's already enjoying a naked hang-out with Camille Germain (Makita Samba) before running back to be told, "It began like this" - in the realm of 'how it started' and 'how it's going', initial signs certainly seem to be good, although we soon learn there are commitment issues on either side. Zhang and Samba offer a lovely combination of ease and spark, so that both their verbal sparring and physical attraction are instantly believable.

Nora Ligier (Noémie Merlant), meanwhile, is a new resident to the area, having come to the city for a change of career. Shy and markedly older than her fellow students, her decision to try to sex things up a bit on a night out goes badly awry when the blonde wig she is sporting gets her mistaken for video sex worker "Amber Sweet" (Jehnny Beth). Soon Nora, played with a nice mixture of firmness and insecurity by Merlant, is forging an unexpected connection with her sexually daring doppelganger, while - after crossing paths with Camille - also embarking on a tentative liaison with him.

Audiard captures the fluid nature of relationships for a younger generation navigating both on and offline opportunities and, because this is French, it also features plenty of gracefully worked sexual encounters, shot with verve but which also don't shy away from more awkward moments. Whether you quite believe the ins and outs of the non-bedroom activities is a matter of debate - everyone here is so much nicer than they would most likely be in real life - but this souffle light fantasy of modern love has plenty of romance baked in.