Question: Build a movie plot around this: Across which body of water did Kern follow his girlfriend? English Channel
Answer:
The film begins with clips that track a telephone call between London and Geneva, where a university student and part-time model, Valentine Dussault (Irene Jacob), is talking to her emotionally infantile and possessive boyfriend. During her work as a model she poses for a chewing-gum campaign and during the photo shoot the photographer asks her to look very sad. While walking back home, Auguste, a neighbour of Valentine's, drops a set of books, notices that a particular chapter of the Criminal Code opened at random, and concentrates on that passage. As she drives back to her apartment, Valentine is distracted while adjusting the radio and accidentally hits a dog. She tracks down the owner, a reclusive retired judge, Joseph Kern (Jean-Louis Trintignant). He seems unconcerned by the accident or the injuries sustained by Rita, his dog. Valentine takes Rita to a veterinarian, where she learns that Rita is pregnant. Valentine takes the dog home. Later, money is delivered to her apartment from an unnamed sender.Whilst Valentine is walking Rita the next day the dog runs away and Valentine eventually finds her back at Kern's house. She asks and he confirms that the money sent to her came from him, for the vet bill. He then tells Valentine she can have the dog. A short time later Valentine finds Kern eavesdropping on his neighbours' private telephone conversations. The judge challenges Valentine to go tell the neighbours and initially she goes to do so. She visits the neighbours' house, which appears, on the surface, to contain a contented nuclear family, causing her to change her mind about exposing their secrets. She returns to Kern's house and Kern tells her that it would make no difference if she denounced him for his spying because the people's lives he listens to would eventually turn into hell anyway. She leaves saying that she feels nothing but pity for him.Whilst visiting Kern, Valentine hears a phone conversation between her (unbeknownst to her) neighbour, Auguste, and his girlfriend, Karin (Frederique...