Tony (Emmanuelle Bercot) tries desperately to recall the tempestuous relationship she had with Giorgio (Vincent Cassel). Why did they fall in love? Were they both in love or was it just her ? Who was Giorgio for real ? Was he himself at every moment or was he manipulating her ? How could she be so blind and how could she let this passion submit herself that much and that far into a circle of destruction ?
The controversial French director, Maïwenn, ex wife of Luc Besson has now proved (if she ever had to) she has reached maturity and mastery in every aspect of directing a movie from filming and directing actors to writing dialogs and a subtle scenario. The performances of the actors are just astonishing. Vincent Cassel seems he is like himself, smooth talker and bold, Emmanuelle Bercot gives it all showing restraint with huge pain,just like her character who cannot believe she has to go through that much but who needs to cope with every single situation. Anchored in reality, the cinema of Maiwen confirms it is based on genuine dialogs and a rough reality.
What is new and different from her other movies, it's that this time she tackles a very common theme: Love, passion, maybe with something less personal, but still with her rough way always at the limit of physical violence. Fortunately, there are light-full moments that make this drama pleasant to watch.
I was really surprised because I was not sure I liked the cinema of Maiwenn. I would even dare to say that this movie is not far from perfect (except the first scene with the psychologist that sounds so fake ! What a pity!). The strength of the film lies in its ability to hold the attention all the way through. It's indeed a breathless and thrilling experience to watch this film, because you expect the situation to worsen even more, you expect the character to realize what she is going though, you expect the director to make this passion a nightmare but she does not.
The film features an astonishing performance from the two actors (the actress received the prize for her performance in Cannes). It features as well intense moments of emotion interrupted from time to time with light-full and hilarious moments, especially thanks to the character of the brother. I would spot this as something new in Maiwenn's cinema, because she was not used to allowing us to take our breath... Very well done Maïwenn this time, can't wait to see the next one !
