Okay, I hate to give so much away but after watching the film, there's no other way to review in a way that it would make sense to the people reading the review other than to tell it like it is. Nothing is real except for Charlotte Rampling's character and her publisher. The daughter character is also real but you don't see the real person until the end of the film. When Charlotte goes on the vacation to the French countryside to clear her head, she actually enters into the world of the characters she is about to write about in her new book. The daughter, the gardener, the guy at the café are all characters in her book and she is living vicariously through them and their lives. That said, this was a very bold film. The soft porn elements were very strong but the acting on the part of Charlotte Rampling was stronger. She is a great actress of her generation and should be celebrated for such a powerful performance. I applaud her for her nude scenes and her honest portrayal of a character we see too less of in Hollywood, the sexy older woman who is not threatened by us young-ins! The film is about imagination and how the author uses it to solve her real life issues. My favourite line from the film is when Charlotte says: "Hmph! awards are like hemorrhoids, sooner or later, every arse gets them" LMAO! Classic!