Silk

Set in the 19th century, this drama follows Hervé Joncour, a married French silk trader. When a disease threatens European silkworm populations, Hervé travels to Japan, a country then closed to foreigners, to secretly obtain healthy eggs. While there, he becomes obsessed with a local woman. Despite the barriers of language and social status, the two form a deep connection. However, the outbreak of war forces Hervé to return to his wife, Hélène, while his feelings for the woman in Japan persist.

The film was directed by François Girard, appearing after The Red Violin and before Boychoir and The Song of Names. Girard also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Golding. The cast features Michael Pitt and Keira Knightley in the lead roles, alongside Alfred Molina and Koji Yakusho. A co-production between Italy, Canada, and Japan, the project had a budget of 20 million USD but earned 8 million USD at the worldwide box office.

Audience reception was mixed, with the film receiving a 5.8/10 rating on IMDb from 12,000 votes and a 5.8/10 on TMDB from 225 votes. These scores are higher than the rating from film critics, who gave the movie a 3.9/10 based on 56 reviews.