Declared the best movie of the year in 1986 by Andrew Sarris—a list that also included Hannah and Her Sisters, The Sacrifice, and Vagabond — Le Rayon vert is frequently cited as a career triumph in a filmography that includes numerous great films. Rohmer’s tale, the fifth in his “Comedies & Proverbs” cycle (“Ah for the days/That set our hearts ablaze” – Rimbaud), follows the independent but insecure Delphine (Rivière), a newly single young Parisian who cannot find a holiday companion for the month of August, and meets and rejects, glides and stumbles in her longing for connection. Overhearing a discussion of Jules Verne’s The Green Ray, Delphine becomes fascinated with seeing the elusive meteorological event – The Green Ray – and the promise that comes with it. Rohmer stock player Rivière, who also co-wrote her largely self-created role, delivers one of the most captivating lead performances in any of the filmmaker’s works.