After ten years of marriage, Romain and Jeanne decide their union is irreversible damaged so the best thing is to get a divorce. They have come to the decision after fights that only hurt their young daughter, Mado. The custody of the daughter is given to the mother. Jeanne who lived in the suburbs of Paris, takes a giant step when she decides to move to the city where she thinks will be a clean break for her and Mado.
The divorce is amicable. Jeanne loves Mado dearly, but she does not think anything leaving the child at home while she goes on a movie date with a Laurent, a co-worker. In fact, Jeanne, craving to have sex, asks her new friend to come home with her, something that, at first, turns him off. Eventually, she is bold enough to get him to her bed, with Mado sleeping in the next room.
Romain does not stay single for too long. He begins a relationship with Ingrid, a woman younger than him. Romain does not love her, but she just fills in the void caused by Jeanne's departure. Romain becomes obsessed when he sees the impact of Jeanne's lackadaisical way to handle Mado's education. That starts a battle between the former spouses until Jeanne breaks down and it is Romain's time to get into action.
An interesting film based on a story by Marie Dedale, adapted for the screen by its director, Bernard Stora who co-wrote it with Philippe Delannoy. This 1994 film showed up recently on cable. Not having seen it, we decided to take a look which turned out to be a surprise. The story deals with divorce from a different angle. Naturally, in most cases, custody is given to the mother. Sometimes, the mother proves to be unfit, as seems to be with Jeanne, even though she adores her daughter. It also pays that Romain pays attention to the way his separation from Jeanne is affecting the young child.
Although one is not given a hint as to why Romain and Jeanne got married, it appears the age difference between them must have been a deciding factor. The couple's personalities must have play a big part in the break-up. Romain is an executive who probably did not get what he was looking for in the woman he fell in love with and married. Jeanne, on the other hand had a lot of problems within herself, making her an unfulfilled woman who was not at peace with himself.
Bernard Stora got excellent work from the two stars of the film. Ann Brochet gives an excellent performance with her intense take on Jeanne. She clearly understood what made this Jeanne do the things she did and reacted to get out of the feeling she had being married to a man she did not love. Richard Berry did one of his best appearances with his Romain, the man involved in the painful divorce. Young Adrienne Winling surprises with her maturity playing Mado. In supporting roles, Emanuelle Devos, Marine Delterme, and Charles Berling are seen among the talented cast.
The divorce is amicable. Jeanne loves Mado dearly, but she does not think anything leaving the child at home while she goes on a movie date with a Laurent, a co-worker. In fact, Jeanne, craving to have sex, asks her new friend to come home with her, something that, at first, turns him off. Eventually, she is bold enough to get him to her bed, with Mado sleeping in the next room.
Romain does not stay single for too long. He begins a relationship with Ingrid, a woman younger than him. Romain does not love her, but she just fills in the void caused by Jeanne's departure. Romain becomes obsessed when he sees the impact of Jeanne's lackadaisical way to handle Mado's education. That starts a battle between the former spouses until Jeanne breaks down and it is Romain's time to get into action.
An interesting film based on a story by Marie Dedale, adapted for the screen by its director, Bernard Stora who co-wrote it with Philippe Delannoy. This 1994 film showed up recently on cable. Not having seen it, we decided to take a look which turned out to be a surprise. The story deals with divorce from a different angle. Naturally, in most cases, custody is given to the mother. Sometimes, the mother proves to be unfit, as seems to be with Jeanne, even though she adores her daughter. It also pays that Romain pays attention to the way his separation from Jeanne is affecting the young child.
Although one is not given a hint as to why Romain and Jeanne got married, it appears the age difference between them must have been a deciding factor. The couple's personalities must have play a big part in the break-up. Romain is an executive who probably did not get what he was looking for in the woman he fell in love with and married. Jeanne, on the other hand had a lot of problems within herself, making her an unfulfilled woman who was not at peace with himself.
Bernard Stora got excellent work from the two stars of the film. Ann Brochet gives an excellent performance with her intense take on Jeanne. She clearly understood what made this Jeanne do the things she did and reacted to get out of the feeling she had being married to a man she did not love. Richard Berry did one of his best appearances with his Romain, the man involved in the painful divorce. Young Adrienne Winling surprises with her maturity playing Mado. In supporting roles, Emanuelle Devos, Marine Delterme, and Charles Berling are seen among the talented cast.
