Summary
Pierre and Anne have been living as a couple for some time. They share a flat and have
a two-year old child, Loulou. Then, one day, Pierre senses a sudden coldness in
their relationship. Gradually, things deteriorate and Anne finally admits that she
is seeing another man. Although it is what he had been expecting, Pierre can hardly
take the news in. His world has been destroyed, and the only way out is a separation.
Review
This is a melancholic and exquisitely perceptive analysis of the disintegration of a relationship.
The film manages to evoke – without histrionics or sentimentality – the pain and upset
which comes to the fore when a couple decide to separate.
For such an emotionally intense, personal drama, director Christian Vincent could not have done better in his choice of lead actors. Both Isabelle Huppert and Daniel Auteuil are magnificent, proving that they are amongst France’s finest. There is a cruel, unspeakable tragedy in the situation of their characters which the two actors manage to capture brilliantly. Huppert and Auteuil have a genuine on-screen rapport which Vincent uses to perfection. The scenes where we see an introspective Auteuil, alone and confused, have a genuine emotional impact and make this one of the most captivating and moving films of this kind in recent years.
© James Travers 1999
Write a review for this film...
For such an emotionally intense, personal drama, director Christian Vincent could not have done better in his choice of lead actors. Both Isabelle Huppert and Daniel Auteuil are magnificent, proving that they are amongst France’s finest. There is a cruel, unspeakable tragedy in the situation of their characters which the two actors manage to capture brilliantly. Huppert and Auteuil have a genuine on-screen rapport which Vincent uses to perfection. The scenes where we see an introspective Auteuil, alone and confused, have a genuine emotional impact and make this one of the most captivating and moving films of this kind in recent years.
© James Travers 1999
Write a review for this film...
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Useful links
- Best French films of 2011
- Best French films of the 2000s
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- Best of French film comedy
- The best 100 French films
- The most successful French films
- Great French filmmakers
Related links
- Other French films of the 1990s
- The best French films of the 1990s
- Other French romantic films
- The best French romantic films
- Biography and films of Christian Vincent
To buy this film
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Credits
- Director: Christian Vincent
- Script: Dan Franck (novel), Christian Vincent
- Photo: Denis Lenoir, Anne Nicolet, Virginie Saint-Martin
- Cast: Isabelle Huppert (Anne), Daniel Auteuil (Pierre), Jérôme Deschamps (Victor), Karin Viard (Claire), Laurence Lerel (Laurence), Louis Vincent (Loulou), Nina Morato (Marie)
- Country: France
- Language: French
- Runtime: 88 min
- Aka: The Separation
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Drama / Romance






