I saw this at the 2016 French Film Festival in Sydney.
There seems to be an endless supply of "middle-aged male fantasy / crisis" dramedy rom-coms churning out of France at the moment. They feature top-notch actors and gorgeous locations. This is one of them.
My theory is that what Anglosaxon and other men think (that their midlife 'need to find myself crisis' will be solved with a bit of dick action), French male filmmakers put on the big screen, to often charming effect. This is one of them.
The modern twist is that there is usually a sense of agency on the part of the women, so they are not necessarily victims. This is one of those films. In this it appears that the wife is also having an affair (this is revealed in the last part of the film).
I am not a French woman, but I wonder whether French women REALLY can move on so quickly and treat the brief encounter as just that - an uninvolving encounter?
The central character's marriage is long-standing, loving, and has reached a rather boring and humdrum stage, just like many marriages. Many people have affairs and fantasies at that stage. Its depiction in English-language films is usually a traumatic experience. In this genre of french films it is all matter-of-fact. Is this a true representation of French attitudes and culture. I am not condemning, just wondering.
The film is diverting for a couple of hours and has made me think about French mores and representation in cinema.
There seems to be an endless supply of "middle-aged male fantasy / crisis" dramedy rom-coms churning out of France at the moment. They feature top-notch actors and gorgeous locations. This is one of them.
My theory is that what Anglosaxon and other men think (that their midlife 'need to find myself crisis' will be solved with a bit of dick action), French male filmmakers put on the big screen, to often charming effect. This is one of them.
The modern twist is that there is usually a sense of agency on the part of the women, so they are not necessarily victims. This is one of those films. In this it appears that the wife is also having an affair (this is revealed in the last part of the film).
I am not a French woman, but I wonder whether French women REALLY can move on so quickly and treat the brief encounter as just that - an uninvolving encounter?
The central character's marriage is long-standing, loving, and has reached a rather boring and humdrum stage, just like many marriages. Many people have affairs and fantasies at that stage. Its depiction in English-language films is usually a traumatic experience. In this genre of french films it is all matter-of-fact. Is this a true representation of French attitudes and culture. I am not condemning, just wondering.
The film is diverting for a couple of hours and has made me think about French mores and representation in cinema.