Festival goers who may be wondering what a standard French rom com like Trois amies (literally, Three Girlfriends) is doing in Venice competition may be reminded of Max Ophuls’ 1950 dance-of-love masterpiece La Ronde, based on an Arthur Schnitzler play written in 1897. So it wasn’t yesterday that stories about change-your-partner romance became a popular genre. Emmanuel Mouret’s new film can be read as an update on an old classic, with precision dialogue and acting that keeps the story fluid until, inevitably, it begins to repeat itself as the characters make the same mistakes over again.
Mouret has built his career around the appeal of romantic comedy, including such titles as The Things We Say, the Things We Do and, most recently, Diary of a Fleeting Affair. Here an able cast carries the circular story line with professional aplomb and minimum deviation or wittiness. The psychology is not very complex, and audiences looking for a frothy French film may make an enjoyable night of it. Otherwise, it looks like a local product, Venice notwithstanding.
In the pretty provincial city of Lyon, a trio of women friends in their thirties worry about their relationships. In particular, they debate the idea of loving a man as opposed to being in love with one, the latter being a preferable state, though possibly more short-lived. So we meet the fresh-faced Joan (India Hair), a high school teacher whose mate Victor (Vincent Macaigne) is “in love with” her and a bit clingy. For her part, Joan “just” loves him, and (it seems to be a corollary) is lately too tired for sex. The difference in their feelings for each other gives her sleepless nights, and she finally sends him packing. In the film’s one unexpected twist, he gets drunk and crashes the car, removing himself from the dance.
They have an 8-year-old daughter, who plays no big role in the story. But with Victor out of the picture, Joan finds she has some good feelings – not love – towards her new neighbor Thomas, who also has an 8-year-old daughter. If only she didn’t feel so guilty over Victor.
Meanwhile, Alice (Camille Cottin) has similar feelings towards her partner Eric, who is crazy about her, but hides her reservations. It’s just more convenient to live together and pretend. She doesn’t realize he’s having a hot affair with her friend Rebecca (Sara Forestier). All she and Joan know is that Rebecca is happy to be in a relationship with a married man – which they encourage.
This is just the beginning of a story that has several more turns. It is well-told with fluid camerawork and long takes that give the spot-on dialogue (and there’s lots of it, especially for viewers reading the subtitles) a fast pace and pleasing rhythm. Benjamin Esdraffo’s piano interludes give the story added punch and direction.
Director: Emmanuel Mouret
Screenplay: Emmanuel Mouret, Carmen Leroi
Cast: Camille Cottin, Sara Forestier, India Hair, Grégoire Ludig, Damien Bonnard, Vincent Macaigne, Éric Caravaca
Producer: Frédéric Niedermayer
Cinematography: Laurent Desmet
Editing: Martial Salomon
Production design: David Faivre
Costume design: Bénédicte Mouret
Music: Benjamin Esdraffo
Sound: Maxime Gavaudan, François Méreu, Jean-Paul Hurie
Production companies: Moby Dick Films
World Sales: Pyramide International
Venue: Venice Film Festival (Competition)
In French
118 minutes
