Spending his days in a café in Paris watching people, Antoine falls for a woman he sees walking to the cinema. Paul Rigoux directs “Thus Began Antoine's Down-Going,” a poetic contemplation of love, art, and self; both an iconic depiction of a youthful French romance and a meta dissection of one. He invents a name for the woman — Albertine — who emerges from the subway on a daily basis and turns for the movie theater. One day, Antoine works up the courage to speak to her and ask her for coffee. There they enjoy a free-flowing conversation on films, books, and self-realization. But when they step outside for a smoke, the spell begins to break. With understated style and performances, Rigoux’s film isn't afraid to shift moods suddenly, or to present both the charming and the cynical at once. -KA. Director: Paul Rigoux. Cast: Abraham Wapler and Mélodie Adda. DoP: Noé Merckle. Editor: Helio Pu. Sound: Hugo Cohen and Valentin Keung.