Released 1996
Stars Garance Clavel, Zinedine Soualem, Olivier Py, Renee Le Calm, Romain Duris, Joel Brisse
Directed by Cedric Klapisch

"When the Cat's Away" begins with the search for a lost animal, but develops into something more sublime and revealing. At the film's opening, we meet Chloe as she is making final preparations for her first vacation in three years. Up to this point, however, she has been unable to find anyone to care for her beloved cat, Gris-Gris. Her gay roommate is unwilling to put himself out, so she is forced to ask around the neighborhood. Her inquiries lead her to Madame Renee, a known cat-sitter. Chloe leaves Gris-Gris with the elderly woman, then leaves for two weeks at the seaside. She returns to learn that Gris-Gris has run away, leaving Madame Renee in a state of near-panic.

As she interacts with neighbors for the first time and later sits alone at home, listening to her roommate entertaining a lover, Chloe becomes aware of her own isolation and loneliness. Suddenly, "When the Cat's Away" is no longer about finding Gris-Gris, it's about Chloe discovering meaning in her life. The cat becomes a metaphor for companionship, and Chloe opens herself to emotional risks she would not normally consider in an effort to find someone with whom she can connect. Her plaintive question of "Why am I all alone?" is one that many individuals across the world can relate to. Klapisch injects enough comedy to keep the film light, but not so much that he turns it into a farce or dilutes the film's dramatic content.

Summary by James Berardinelli