New Zealand director Niki Caro made a name for herself with 2002's "Whale Rider," a canny mix of Maori myths and naturalistic performances, driven by a gifted young actress, Keisha Castle-Hughes, who was only 12 years old at the time. After going Hollywood with the sexual-harassment lawsuit drama "North Country" in 2005, Caro is back in the realm of the mythic again with "The Vintner's Luck," and — even more promising — she's also got Castle-Hughes in her cast.

Based on the novel by fellow kiwi Elizabeth Knox, "The Vintner's Luck" follows the travails of a 19th-century French peasant named Sobran (played by Jeremie Renier, a regular in the Dardennes brothers' films), who works on a Burgundy cha^teau tending the vineyards. Despite his lowly position, Sobran is convinced he knows his wine, and that he can make a better one than his masters. One drunken night he encounters an angel, Xas (Gaspard Ulliel, "A Very Long Engagement"), who encourages him to plant his own vines.

Sobran is convinced that with his guardian angel watching him nothing can go wrong, so he marries his forbidden love, Celeste (Castle-Hughes), then marches off with Napoleon's army to earn some money to finance his own winemaking. After nearly dying in the war in Russia and returning home to find that his father has perished, Sobran is furious with Xas; why didn't his protector warn him? Well, it's not that simple, says the angel, and the pair's relationship takes even stranger turns.