Read My Lips

Deaf secretary Carla is bullied by her mean-spirited male colleagues. When they suggest she needs an assistant it seems like the final insult, but when the first applicant is ex-con Paul she seizes the chance to change her life. Paul is clueless about clerical work as he has experience only of being a thief, but he is desperate for a job. Carla covers his mistakes, and he, anxious to go straight, reluctantly helps her take revenge on her colleagues. But one good turn deserves another, and when Paul asks Carla to return the favour, she finds herself drawn into the criminal underworld, ruled by another kind of ruthless bully; loan shark Marchand. Recognising her ability to lip-read as a weapon no one will have bargained for, Paul and Carla set out to see justice done.

This ingenious French crime thriller was directed by Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, The Beat that My Heart Skipped) and stars Vincent Cassel (La Haine, Mesrine) and Emmanuelle Devos (Coco Before Chanel, Kings and Queen).

The film won 3 César Awards in 2002.