A Common Thread is a fantastic French drama about the life of Claire, played with great maturity by Lola Naymark, a teenager who finds herself pregnant and unable to tell anyone. Pursuing her dream of embroidery despite her dilemma she starts to work for Mme Melikian, a middle aged woman deep in grief at the death of her son in a road accident. They work in silence but soon find that the presence of the other in their lives has a great effect. This isn't a film where a lot goes on.
The scenes are often quiet with little movement mirroring the isolation of these two women as they struggle with their inner thoughts. It is beautifully shot and the slow pace pulls the viewer in without making the movie seem overly log, which it isn't at a running time of just under 90 minutes.
Teenage pregnancy has been dealt with before but never with so much tenderness and focus on the girl alone and her journey through the nine months. Claire and Mme Melikian's friendship across generations is believable and moving as is Claire's interaction with her friend's brother Guillame (Thomas Laroppe) who coincidentally was friends with the Melikian boy. There are lots of threads to this drama that come together with as much care as the beautiful needlework that is almost a character in its own right.