September 6, 2002

Marie-Jo et ses deux amours

I chose to walk into Marie-Jo Et Ses Deux Amours because it was that or what sounded like a depressing German film.  I hadn’t even worked out the title in my half-ass, unschooled, romance language begging French.  I walked into the 9:45 a.m. screening to find, to my surprise, a pretty full room. 

The female lead, Marie-Jo (played by Ariane Ascaride) is very, very happily married to Daniel (Jean-Pierre Darroussin).  The have a daughter of about 18.  But as happy as she is, Marie-Jo, who works driving infirm people around, has a love of the sea.  And who comes into her life, but a ship’s pilot (Gerard Meylan), with whom she starts a torrid affair. 

Is any of this sounding familiar?

Well, if you saw Unfaithful last May it should.  It’s a very similar story set-up, albeit these characters are a decade older than the Gere/Lane couple.  But, because of that, it seems they are far better at expressing their feelings.  Unlike Unfaithful, where the filmmakers seemed  thrilled to leave so many motivations unspoken, in this film, they express their feelings by… well, expressing their feelings.  And it’s not like sitting through a morals lecture.  Their actions and insights are never lass than realistic and always challenging to the audience’s thoughts about morality and fidelity and the oddity of love.

Included in this is their college age daughter and her live-in boyfriend, who bring a wonderful level of reality to their roles as bystanders to this ménage-a-pain.

As far as I can tell, this film does not yet have a U.S. distribution deal.  It should.  It’s  a better film than Unfaithful (even if I’d rather watch Diane Lane have wild sex rather than Ms. Ascaride… who is in wonderful shape, actually) and it’s every bit as good as any of the Rohmer films.  The only heaviness of hand seems to come at the very end… not in action, but it style.  Otherwise, a wonderful, smart film.  s and for her effort, finds her stronger, more natural self.