Film Review
Peindre ou faire l'amour (a.k.a.
To Paint or Make Love) is
the third full-length film from the Larrieu brothers, whose distinctive brand
of auteur cinema continues to divide the critics. Its partner-swapping
theme would perhaps have had a greater resonance in the late 1960s and it
is quite daring of the Larrieus to broach such a controversial subject in
such a direct manner, although their efforts are somewhat hampered by an
approach that feels gratuitously and self-consciously arty - more Claude
Lelouch than Eric Rohmer.
On the plus side, the film has a remarkable principal cast consisting of
four extremely talented actors, each of whom turns in a very creditable performance
whilst making good use of the opportunity to expand his or her personal repertoire.
Of the four, Sabine Azéma is closest to the screen persona she has
carefully cultivated over the past two decades, most notably in her films
for Alain Resnais (
Mélo,
Les Herbes folles) - an outgoing,
slightly mad exterior wrapped around a vulnerable and complex inner self.
Daniel Auteuil is less comfortable in the more introverted role of Azéma's
moody husband but gets to turn in one of his more subtle performances in
years.
Sergi López and Amira Casar complete the quartet handsomely, admirably
contrasting the seemingly ill-matched Azéma-Auteuil pairing and providing
just the right amount of sexual tension and character ambiguity to make the
partner-swapping scenario appear plausible. One interesting quirk of
the film is the presence of Sabine Haudepin. As a young girl, she famously
had a small role in Truffaut's
Jules
et Jim (1962), in which two male friends live together whilst pursuing
a harmonious ménage-à-trois love affair with one woman.
By referencing Truffaut's iconic film,
Peindre ou faire l'amour seems
to be offering itself up as a tribute to that halcyon era of free love.
Regrettably, the quality of the acting is not reflected in the script, which
feels a tad superficial and vacuous for the most part. These shortcomings
are painfully emphasised by the Larrieus blithe tendency for Lelouch-like
grandiloquence, which includes jarring breaks in the narrative to include
over-long panoramic tracking shots across the mountainous location.
This picturesque self-indulgence would have been more bearable if it were
not accompanied by incongruous snatches of pop songs from the likes of Jacques
Brel, Demis Roussos and Léo Ferré, which make the whole thing
appear cheap and tawdry.
Arnaud and Jean-Marie Larrieu are certainly a very capable team of filmmakers,
evidenced by their receipt of an honorary Prix Jean Vigo in 2020 for the
body of their work to date.
Peindre ou faire l'amour is not
a particularly great example of their combined talent, although it deserves
some credit for the honesty and sensitivity with which it tackles a subject
that has largely been overlooked in cinema. The deficiencies in the
writing are just about made up for by the contributions from the four charismatic
and highly sympathetic lead actors, and the visuals, whilst painfully excessive
in parts, lend a satisfying lyrical quality to an engaging and provocative
drama.
© James Travers 2022
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Film Synopsis
William and Madeleine are a happily married couple in their
early fifties. They live in Grenoble, a picturesque town near the French
Alps. William, a mild depressive, works as a meteorologist whilst his
hyperactive wife runs a painting company. One afternoon, Madeleine
is painting a picture of a run-down old house in the heart of the nearby
Vercors countryside when she is met by Adam, a cultured blind man who happens
to be the mayor of a nearby town.
Encouraged by Adam, Madeleine and her husband take a closer look at the house
and like it so much that they decide to buy it. The couple soon become
the best of friends with Adam his wife Eva. It isn't long afterwards that
the latter find themselves homeless when their own house in accidentally
destroyed in a fire. Madeleine and William welcome the unfortunate
couple with open arms into their new home, but this act of generosity has
some unexpected consequences. As Madelaine grows closer to Adam, William
finds himself irresistibly drawn to Eva...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.