A Couch in New York 1996

Henry Harriston, William Hurt, is a psychoanalyst whose patients drive him crazy by leaving messages during his off hours. On a whim he places an ad offering his stylish apartment for a housing swap, and Béatrice Saulnier, Juliette Binoche, a Parisian dancer, responds. They swap apartments without ever meeting. Béatrice is impressed with Henry’s high-tech, beautiful, and spacious dwelling, while Henry arrives at Béatrice’s place to find it filthy and messy, a jarring, almost claustrophobic contrast to his own polished space.

As the swap unfolds, Henry’s patients begin streaming into Béatrice’s apartment seeking therapy. Béatrice steps in, listening to their stories and effectively becoming Henry’s temporary replacement in his absence. This odd arrangement foreshadows a deeper connection as Béatrice starts to inhabit Henry’s world, and Henry’s home becomes crowded with the very people he treats.

Henry discovers a cache of love-letters Béatrice has received from various admirers, and Béatrice’s lovers soon arrive at her apartment, chatting with Henry about their feelings for her. They even call the apartment to praise Henry’s “helpfulness,” complicating the ethics of the situation. Overwhelmed and homesick, Henry decides to return to New York, but the entanglement is not so easily unraveled.

Back in New York, Henry suspects Béatrice is scheming or sabotaging him, so he pretends to be a fake patient named John to confront her. Instead of an outright confrontation, the session becomes a peculiar dance—Béatrice and Henry exchange a nonverbal, almost hypnotic back-and-forth of agreement with a series of quiet “Yes” responses. The odd therapy session draws them closer, and Henry begins to doubt his suspicions, choosing to keep up the ruse because he senses Béatrice’s good intentions.

As their bond deepens, the two confront the rift between professional distance and personal longing. Henry confronts the emotional walls raised by a distant relationship with his mother, and Béatrice’s own boundless curiosity and affection pull them toward each other. Yet Béatrice’s friend warns that a relationship with a patient could be perilous, threatening to pull them apart just as they acknowledge their growing feelings. In a tense moment during a session the lights go out, and the two secretly whisper love confessions in the dark, unaware of whether the other can hear.

Despite their longing, Henry hesitates to declare his love aloud, and Béatrice decides to return to Paris, asking for an end to their sessions. Henry finally voices his love, but she hangs up before hearing it. He rushes to the airport, hoping for a last-minute flight, only to discover the plane is overbooked. On standby, he secures the last ticket, but it turns out that the ticket belonged to Béatrice; Henry ends up boarding the plane and searching the cabin for her as she stays behind.

When Béatrice returns to her neighbor’s terrace rather than her own apartment, she finds herself unable to access her home. She speaks to Henry through the plants on the terrace, disguising her voice so he cannot recognize her. In this intimate moment, Béatrice confesses that she fell in love with one of Henry’s patients, John. Realizing that Henry and John are the same person, Béatrice climbs back into her apartment and finally kisses Henry, telling him she loves him.