Jerome Bonnell has one thing in common with Orson Welles: he made his first feature while still in his twenties. Would that he had the talent of Welles too, because this little picture just about expires before it can really get going. The placid lives of Louis and his wife Agnes, her lover Jean-Philippe and the hooker, Sabine, that Louis falls for are hardly stirred at all throughout the film's running time. There is also--and I don't know why he is in the story at all--a young man named Stephane, whose life is so empty of interest that it brings the film to an uneasy halt whenever he appears in a scene.
Happily, there is one exceptionally fine performance amid all this dross, that of Florence Loiret as the battered and conflicted hooker. Just watching her walk down the street seems to bring all sorts of pleasure to the viewer. The final scene between Sabine and Louis is astonishing, so very moving: Darroussin bursts into tears near the end, and I was blubbering too, it was that effective. Loiret is a regular in Bonnell's films, and I must try to see more of her.
Happily, there is one exceptionally fine performance amid all this dross, that of Florence Loiret as the battered and conflicted hooker. Just watching her walk down the street seems to bring all sorts of pleasure to the viewer. The final scene between Sabine and Louis is astonishing, so very moving: Darroussin bursts into tears near the end, and I was blubbering too, it was that effective. Loiret is a regular in Bonnell's films, and I must try to see more of her.
