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Peindre ou faire l'amour
2005 Comedy / Drama
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Credits
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Director: Arnaud Larrieu, Jean-Marie Larrieu
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Script: Arnaud Larrieu, Jean-Marie Larrieu
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Photo: Christophe Beaucarne
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Music: Philippe Katerine
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Cast: Sabine Azéma (Madeleine Lasserre),
Daniel Auteuil (William Lasserre),
Amira Casar (Eva),
Sergi López (Adam),
Philippe Katerine (Mathieu),
Hélène de Saint-Père (Julie),
Sabine Haudepin (Suzanne),
Roger Mirmont (Roger),
Jacques Nolot (Michel),
Marie-Pierre Chaix (Annick),
Florence Loiret (Élise),
Thiago Telès (Joao)
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 100 min
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Summary
William and Madeleine, a married couple in their early fifties, live in a town near the
French Alps. One afternoon, Madeleine is painting a picture of a run-down old house
in the countryside when she meets Adam, a cultured blind man who is mayor of the nearby
town. At Adam’s suggestion, Madeleine and William take a closer look at the house
and decide to buy it. They become close friends with their neighbours, Adam and
his wife Eva. When their house is destroyed in a fire, Adam and Eva willingly accept
the invitation to stay with Madeleine and William. Their relationship suddenly takes
an unexpected turn…
Review
Peindre ou faire l'amour is a curious little
film, in the mould of the familiar French film d'auteur. It broaches the taboo
subject of settled couples swapping their partners with a directness and poetry that is
not altogether unappealing. This is the third full-length film from the Larrieu
brothers, whose very distinctive style of cinema continues to divide the critics.
Whilst the film has a lot going for it (a raw sense of realism, a dash of understated
Rohmer-like comedy and some eye-catching photography) it does feel a tad insubstantial.
The idea of breaking up the narrative into digestible chunks with sumptuous panoramic
tracking shots of the mountain location would have worked better without the accompanying
snatches of pop songs which make the thing look cheap and somewhat hackneyed. The
biggest failing, however, is that, despite the first rate cast, the characters are not
entirely convincing, and, since the film is entirely centred around its characters, things
do drag in a quite few places - although there are admittedly a few moments of brilliance
which make up for this.
© James Travers 2007
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