Nick Hart, played by Keith Carradine, is a struggling expatriate artist living in Paris in the 1920s. He is part of a community of writers, painters, and musicians who gather in cafes and salons to discuss art and life. He spends most of his time drinking and socializing, and becomes romantically involved with a young woman named Libby Valentin, played by Linda Fiorentino.
Meanwhile, Hart is desperate to sell his paintings, but has no luck getting them exhibited or sold in galleries. He pesters Libby, who owns a gallery, to sell his work, but she is more interested in promoting her own career. Eventually, he becomes involved in a plot by Nathalie de Ville, a wealthy art patroness, to forge three paintings by Modigliani.
This leads to several run-ins with Bertram Stone, an American rubber magnate who is married to Hart's ex-wife Rachel, played by Geneviève Bujold. Stone is also a patron of the arts, and becomes suspicious of Hart's involvement in the forgery scheme. As tensions escalate, Hart must confront his past, his relationships, and his own artistic integrity.
The Moderns is a stylish and atmospheric film, depicting the vibrant and bohemian world of the Parisian avant-garde. Along with Carradine, Fiorentino, Bujold, and other talented actors, the film features a memorable jazz-infused score by Mark Isham, and gorgeous cinematography by French director Michel Brault. It is an engaging and entertaining exploration of art, love, and deception, set against the backdrop of a tumultuous era in history.
