Summary
During a visit to a Normandy seaside resort with her friend, Marylene, a fragile and solitary
young woman named Béatrice is befriended by an arts student, François.
Despite their intellectual and class differences, the couple fall in love and share a
flat together in Paris. Whilst Béatrice is content to be in love, François
becomes increasingly frustrated with her unwillingness to better herself...
Review
This well-observed and genuinely moving film from Swiss-born director Claude Goretta makes
a pessimistic statement of the inability of love to surmount societal divisions.
The disintegration of the beautiful relationship between the young couple François
and Béatrice when they realise their mutual incompatibility is handled with great
subtlety and credibility, providing a genuinely tormenting experience for the viewer.
The film is laced with poignant significance and never has to resort to stylish sentimentality
to achieve its effect. Goretta tells a simple story with feckless ease, yet it is
a story that is difficult to forget.
Both lead actors, Yves Beneyton and Isabelle Huppert, deserve credit for their compelling
performances, which display a maturity and self-awareness that is way beyond their years
of experience. Although just 22 when she made this film, Huppert is captivating
as the quiet, repressed Béatrice, the first major role in a remarkable film career
which would see her become one of the most highly regarded actresses in the world.
© James Travers 2000
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