Un amour impossible

I came to this film with no prior knowledge of it (I didn't even realise it was going to be in French until I started watching) and so had no preconceived ideas about it. So I was pleasantly surprised to find myself hooked by the storyline from quite an early stage and captivated throughout - perhaps not the easiest of tasks for a lengthy subtitled film (my French is somewhat lacking).

Essentially a woman's account of the relationship between her parents (from their first meeting) and herself (from birth through to adulthood), the story is full of twists and frequently wrong-footed me as to just where it was going to head next, even though the progression of events was generally logical and believable.

Telling its story over the course of decades, I was glad it didn't fall into the usual trap of trying to ram the styles and fads of each period down the viewer's face. The gradual aging of the characters, always a tricky thing for filmmakers to get right, was remarkably convincing too.

Although I'd like to comment on certain specifics of the plot, which can be hard and uncompromising at times (as indeed the effects of human love can be), that would only serve to reduce this film's capacity to surprise the first-time viewer. However, Virginie Efira gives a terrific central performance as Rachel, the woman who spends her whole adult life providing love but finding precious little of it reciprocated. Yes, some might question the rather one-note tone of Rachel's behaviour throughout and the manner in which she just accepts the metaphorical kicks in the teeth without histrionics, but I think it works in this context. Some people are like that and the lack of any reactionary aggression on Rachel's part emphasises how cruelly she is treated, and also demonstrates how being passive does not necessarily always achieve the best outcomes.