For his first fiction film shot outside his native Iran, Abbas Kiarostami turns his focus on an unlikely couple who meet and spend a few hours together in a small Tuscan village. An English writer (William Shimmel) arrives to give a reading from his recent bestseller. He is interrupted by a French woman (Juliette Binoche) in the audience who is trying to manage her impatient teenage son. When the couple meet again, they decide to spend the day together, exploring the neighbouring countryside. Slowly we begin to wonder, have they been on this journey before? Are they a reliving a past relationship or just flirting with a potential one?

A director in complete control, Kiarostami expertly moves the two actors around the board like chess pieces. Binoche, who won the Best Actress prize at Cannes for her work here, is paired with Shimmel, a well-known opera singer in his first traditional acting role, who holds his own against an actress very much at the top of her game.

Despite the description, Certified Copy is not remotely a dry intellectual exercise. For one thing, it looks beautiful, bathed in a warm, golden Tuscan glow. And there's a playfulness to the film, from the script to the performances. Only a master like Kiarostami could make a film which is subtle and sophisticated and yet an absolute delight to watch.