Review: À la folie... pas du tout / He loves me ... he loves me not (2002)

A young art student, Angélique (Audrey Tautou) becomes infatuated with the Loïc (Samuel Le Bihan), a respected cardiologist, who is married to Rachel (Isabelle Carré). When Loïc does not reciprocate (he is barely aware of her), Angélique plots increasingly desperate and violent ways to separate him from his wife.
From watching recent French films, you might think that erotomania, a delusional belief that another person is in love with you, is a common disease. Coincidentally, one of the stars of this film, Isabelle Carré, goes on to play the main role in a 2007 film, Anna M. about a woman who becomes infatuated with a doctor. Doctors can be so lucky!
What's interesting about this film is casting the wide-eyed Audrey Tautou as the delusional Angélique; she looks so innocent and trusting that you can imagine people believing her point of view. The other interesting aspect is to tell the story from both Angélique's and Loïc's points of view, allowing the viewer to fill in the gaps, left deliberately by writers Laetitia Colombani and Caroline Thivelin, in each other's story. Other than that, the story follows a predictable arc.
French with English sub-titles.
3 out of 5 stars.

Review: Anna M. (2007)

A lonely book restorer, Anna M. (Isabelle Carré), becomes infatuated with her doctor, Dr André Zenevsky (Gilbert Melki), and begins to stalk him.

Writer-director Michael Spinosa chronicles dispassionately Anna's increasingly psychotic and violent behaviour as she tries to attract Zanevsky's attention. The tone of the film is realistic and avoids the over-the-top murderous obsession of 'Fatal Attraction', though dog lovers and parents of young children may feel a little uneasy with some of the scenes. Isabelle Carré gives a believable performance as the troubled Anna.

A rather frustrating film because we are not given any clues as to the cause of Anna's condition (there is a hint that it is not the first time) and Spinosa seems content to just show us the consequences of her actions.

French with English subtitles.

3 out of 5 stars.

Review: Entre Ses Mains / In His Hands (2005)

In the city of Lille, Clair Gautier (Isabelle Carré) lives an ideal modern life: she likes her job as an insurance assessor, is happily married to Fabrice (Jonathan Zaccai) and has a young daughter. One day, she processes a claim by a middle-aged vetinarian, Laurent Kessler (Benoit Poelvoorde). Kessler is self-effacing, charming but slightly creepy, so it is unexpected when she allows him into her life and dates him.

Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the loose in the city. After hearing about the killer's modus operandi, Claire suspects Kessler might the killer. Despite this suspicion, she continues to meet him; perhaps her life is not as ideal as it seems and that she's entertaining a harmless fantasy as an escape from it.

The pair's encounters through Lille are tracked by Denis Lenoir's excellent cinematography, which shows an exciting and romantic night life in contrast to the stark office interiors and wintry days. Director and co-writer, Anne Fontaine, herself an actor, gives the cast space and time to perform.

For most of its running time, I was left guessing whether Claire's suspicions are valid or not, so it is rather disappointing when that ambiguity is neatly resolved in the conclusion.

French with English subtitles.

3 out of 5 stars.

Review was original published in Morva House.