Cet amour-là

This film tells what I gather is the true story of the relationship between the French author (and screenwriter, director, and even composer) Marguerite Duras and a much younger man, Yann Andréa, based on his novel. Many people wrote to her, but Yann's frequent letters stood out. After some time, he went to meet her, and ended up living with her. She was a woman of extreme and rapid mood swings, and yet somehow Yann is able to weather these storms.

Marguerite is played exquisitely by Jeanne Moreau. There was one particular transition that she made from one emotion to another, using only her facial expression, that simply blew me away, and the film is well worth seeing just based on the strength of her performance. From what I can tell on IMDb, Jeanne Moreau has actually worked in films with the character she is playing here, which gives additional credibility to her portrayal.

Seen at the San Francisco International Film Festival on 4/28/2002.