L’Amour (1990) - film review

Towards the end of their summer holidays, a group of teenagers living in a suburb of Paris experience their first bittersweet encounter with love.  Whilst Sandrine tries to make up her mind between her boyfriend Didier and the taciturn Joel, three young lads, Riri, Alex and Paulo, are busy playing the field – with limited success.

Philippe Faucon’s portrait of adolescence is filmed with a striking realism which manages to convey some sense of the vulnerability and vitality of those harrowing yet precious teenage years.  With a cast of non-professional actors, filmed in daringly naturalistic way, Faucon comes as close as he probably can to making a convincing film about adolescence without it being a documentary. Whilst Faucon is to be credited on his unusual cinematic approach, the film places great demands on its audience. With so many characters, none of whom is explored in any great detail, the film does appear a tad superficial and aimless.

© James Travers 2003

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