Mona (Maëlle Poésy) has recently arrived in New York from France in order to mount her newest play — an autobiographical piece that depicts her tumultuous, on-again, off-again affair with a married photographer, Nick (Linas Phillips). Mona casts Chris (Keith Poulson) as Nick and Thérèse (Esther Garrel) to play the fictional version of herself. As rehearsals begin, a love quadrangle emerges: Mona falls for Chris, Chris becomes infatuated with Mona, and Thérèse develops deep feelings for Chris. This tangled roundelay unfolds in five chapters, covering the same events from each of the four character’s perspectives and culminating in a fraught production of the play itself.

Tribeca alum Nathan Silver (Actor Martinez,Thirst Street) brings his affinity for telling stories that blur the lines between reality and fiction to The Great Pretender, while continuing to delve deeper into his ruminations on the destructive power of self-delusion. Aided by the gorgeous images lensed by cinematographer Sean Price Williams (Listen Up Philip, Good Time), Silver disposes his trademark dark humor to bring us a tangled tale of art imitating life.

—Shayna Weingast