Summary
Bertrand and Guillaume are students at university in Paris. Bertrand watches helplessly
as his friend exploits a seemingly naïve young woman, Suzanne. He does not
know whom he despises most: Suzanne for allowing herself to be duped, or Guillaume for
his despicable cruelty. Bertrand suspects that Suzanne is transferring her affection
to him, but he has no real interest in her. He is smitten with another woman, Sophie,
although she does not reciprocate his feelings.
Review
In the second of his Six contes moraux, Eric Rohmer paints an all too believable portrait
of adolescent vice and vulnerability whilst pursuing the central linking theme of a moral
dilemma concerning love and desire. Here, the central character Bertrand is
no more than a spotty youth, dependent on his parents for money and a total no-hoper when
it comes to the opposite sex. His moral dilemma is hence more theoretical than in
the other five Moral Tales - even if he were able to choose between the two women in his
life, it is certain that neither of them would reciprocate his feelings. Yet, in
his mind at least, the dilemma exists and it has a profound effect on him, as the film’s
conclusion reveals.
Although far less polished than Rohmer’s subsequent films, La Carrière de Suzanne
is an engaging work which clearly shows the writer-director’s uncanny capacity for
observing and then re-creating real-life situations on film. Whilst the acting
is not great, and technically the film is weak compared with Rohmer’s later films, the
characters in the film appear fully rounded and believable, thanks largely to Rohmer’s
naturalistic dialogue.
© James Travers 2002
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