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“You’re the most alive person I’ve ever known… ”
—Jeanne, Amour de Femme

Amour de Femme :
A Beautiful Love Story with French Flair

Amour de Femme is one of those rare movies that are moody, subtle, and yet powerful all at the same time. A French film with English subtitles, Amour de Femme tells the story of Jeanne, a 35-year-old masseuse living in Paris, who has spent her entire life making other people feel better. Attending a party with David, her husband of seven years, Jeanne instantly connects with Marie, a dancer performing at the party. They spend the evening conversing about their love of dance, something Jeanne used to do, but has given up as her life took a different turn. Vowing to begin dancing again, Jeanne decides to take one of Marie’s classes, and rediscovers not only the passion that’s been missing from her life, but that she has feelings for this mesmerizing dancer.

Although Jeanne’s past is never explained, one gets the sense of a life of quiet desperation. Jeanne seems to be happy on the surface, but dig a little deeper and one finds a woman whose passion for life has fizzled out. She goes through the motions, living each day as she is expected—dutiful wife to David, loving mother to young Louis—until she meets Marie. Intrigued by the vitality of this woman, Jeanne undergoes a transformation that, at first, she finds confusing and frightening. Marie makes no secret of her attraction to women—and to Jeanne—and Jeanne, while drawn to her, struggles with conflicting emotions, eventually running back home to the safety of the known. She explains her feelings to a longtime friend, telling her she “wanted” Marie, only to be ridiculed for her confession.  Crushed, Jeanne withdraws even more.

The distance between Jeanne and her husband continues to grow, and Jeanne finds herself thinking of Marie more and more; the quiet desperation invading her every waking moment. She again finds herself at Marie’s class, this time taking her up on an offer for dinner. They go to Marie’s apartment where she begins to prepare dinner for the two, when Jeanne boldly decides to ask Marie to kiss her. The tender kiss in turn leads to a night of lovemaking between the two. They continue having clandestine rendezvous for several weeks, and one can see the joy growing in Jeanne’s life at her newfound feelings.

It’s only a matter of time before Jeanne finds herself in love with Marie, torn between the life she had and the one she is creating with Marie. Her husband, knowing there is a problem between them, finally confronts her and Jeanne tells him she’s in love with Marie. With typical, passionate French male flair, her husband shouts a lot, then storms out of the room. Jeanne runs to Marie for comfort, where Marie promises she’ll do whatever is needed, whatever it takes, and professes her love for Jeanne.

Weeks pass, and eventually Jeanne makes a decision to break it off. She goes to Marie, brokenhearted, and gives her the news. Marie stoically accepts the news, said that it was expected, and asks Jeanne to leave quickly. Going to another room, we see that Marie’s not quite as strong as she puts off, as she sags against the wall, heartbroken as well.

Jeanne tells her husband she has broken it off and attempts to live with her decision. But it’s not working. All she can think about is Marie. The passion that Marie revived in her will no longer be denied. When Marie calls to say she hopes she is okay, Jeanne emotionally breaks down. At this point in the film, your heart is just breaking for these two.

Although it seems futile, Jeanne tries to make it work with David. They attempt to make love, but nothing seems to be working. David leaves the bedroom for a moment, and then returns in a slinky woman’s dressing gown, taunting Jeanne, asking her if this is what turns her on, if that’s what she wants. David berates her, yelling and screaming, until Louis comes in the room, breaking up the fight. This is the key pivotal moment in the film, where Jeanne finally makes a decision as to what her life will be, what she will do. During the next few scenes, we see an entirely different Jeanne as she makes up her mind, finds herself, and makes decisions that will change her life forever.

Amour de Femme stars Hèlène Filliéres as Jeanne. She has appeared in nearly 30 films since 1989 and was nominated for a “Most Promising Actress” Cèsar Award in 2002 for her work in Reines d’un Jour.  At first, I thought the actress portraying Marie was very short, but further investigation revealed that Filliéres is actually six-feet tall! She reminds me of a young Gia Carangi in many shots (see below), having that androgynous beauty about her. Filliéres, as Jeanne, is a formidable screen presence: her stormy beauty simultaneously suggesting the terror with which she at first cowers from love’s promise, then lunges at it hungrily, epitomizing Jeanne’s greatest question in life: who is this woman that I am becoming?

Raffa‘la Anderson portrayal of Marie is the very picture of courageous self-determination, whether romancing Jeanne in quiet conversation, or wildly dancing with a commanding ferocity. Anderson starred in Virginie Despentes Coralie’s acclaimed Baise-Moi, which was nominated for a Grand Prix Asturias award at the 2000 Gijon International Film Festival, a Golden Leopard at the 2000 Locarno Film Festival and a Bronze Horse at the 2000 Stockholm Film Festival. Son of famed actor Alain Delon, Anthony Delon (David) is an accomplished French film and television actor in his own right. He also starred in the Cannes selection and Palme d’Or nominee Chronicle of a Death Foretold (Cronaca di una Morte Annunciata) for director Francesco Rosi.

I found Amour de Femme to be highly reminiscent of another favorite movie of mine, When Night is Falling. Both of these movies tend toward subtlety and imagery to tell their stories instead of hand-holding the viewer with endless dialogue and background explanations. If you like your movies spelled out in great detail, you probably won't like Amour de Femme or When Night is Falling. Amour de Femme is the kind of movie that you think about, watch again, and enjoy even more the second time around as you capture the nuance of the wonderful performance.

One thing to remember when watching this film is that it is a foreign film and not necessarily up to Hollywood cinematic standards. The musical soundtrack leaves quite a bit to be desired, bordering on tastelessly pornographic, and the coloring of the movie tends toward dark and moody. One amazon.com reviewer commented about the actresses "gray" teeth due to all the smoking in the movie, and while I doubt that is the case, the colorization of the movie does make things appear to be dull and drab.

Nevertheless, if you can get past the technical inadequacies of the film, you will find yourself immersed in a beautiful, moving love story about the "love of women." Amour de Femme is a movie to be remembered.

Rating: (on a scale of 1-5, with one being poor and five as excellent)
Amour de Femme

Amour de Femme Director: Sylvie Verheyde Starring: Hèléne Filliéres, Raffaëla Anderson, Anthony Delon Studio: Picture This Entertainment Released: 2004 | Rated: R Category: Drama Length: 90 minutes Retail: $21.95 Format: DVD Click here to order AMOUR DE FEMME

 

F E A T U R E D | M O V I E | R E V I E W S
Don't miss our in-depth reviews of several great movies, as well as several mini-reviews in our Movie Library section. The in-depth reviews are: Amour de Femme, Chutney Popcorn, Everything Relative, Funny Girl, the Girl, Inn Trouble, Lost and Delirious, the L Word Season 1, Queer As Folk Season 1, and When Night is Falling. Coming soon will be Mango Kiss, Tipping the Velvet, and more! The Movie Library section contains mini-reviews of several more movies you might find interesting. Check it out!

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