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A man struggling with a failing romantic relationship now has to deal with an admirer he doesn't want in this drama from French filmmaker Patrice Chereau. Daniel (Romain Duris) is a successful self-employed businessman who has been dating Sonia (Charlotte Gainsbourg) for nearly three years. Daniel deeply loves Sonia, and while she feels the same way about him, he often has his doubts; Daniel is irrationally jealous and suspects that Sonia has lost her desire for him, no matter what she does to convince him otherwise. One day, while riding home on the subway, he sees a woman being attacked and tries to come to her aid, to no avail. Afterwards, a stranger (Jean-Hugues Anglade) approaches Daniel and shares his opinions about the incident; Daniel doesn't think much of it until the stranger begins appearing on a regular basis, talking an uncomfortably strong interest in him. The man's interest quickly becomes full-blown staking, and no matter how hard Daniel tries to persuade him that he's not interested in him --including resorting to violence -- the stranger will not believe that Daniel doesn't return his affection. Persecution was an official selection at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival.