“Lover For A Day”– Movie Review

This week, I attended the opening of the new French drama “Lover For A Day” at The Film Society Of Lincoln Center.

Synopsis

When a young woman is dumped by her boyfriend, she moves in with her father – but after learning his new lover is her own age, what will this do to their relationship?

Story

When Jeanne (Esther Garrel) shows up at the front door of the apartment belonging to her father Gilles (Eric Caravaca), it’s not for a friendly visit.  Jeanne is moving in with him because her boyfriend just kicked her out of their apartment.  While Gilles is happy to see his daughter, the living arrangement causes something of an awkward situation:  he’s now living with Ariane (Louise Chevillotte), a former student at the university where Gilles is a professor.  Making matters even more uncomfortable, it turns out that both Jeanne and Ariane are the same age.  

Despite the unease that the two young women feel at each other’s presence, they manage to bond due to shared frustrations over their various romantic involvements.  Jeanne is so distraught over her break-up that she is constantly bursting into tears and even attempts suicide.  Ariane, on the other hand, is beginning to question her pursuit of Gilles; while she is comfortable in the constancy of their relationship, she wonders what sexual adventures she may be missing in her youth.  Has she made a huge mistake in taking up with an older man?

Although Gilles has opportunities to cheat on Ariane with other university co-eds, he nevertheless remains steadfastly faithful to her.  Ariane, on the other hand, is being increasingly tempted by the young men she meets in chance social encounters.  All the while, Jeanne is now trying to socialize again with the hope of not only forgetting her ex-boyfriend, but also jumping back into the dating pool.  Soon, she becomes aware that her ex has apparently had a change of heart and is now trying to woo her back.  Meanwhile, Gilles is becoming increasingly suspicious of Ariane’s mysterious behavior.  Will the two remain lovers as Jeanne must decide if she’s still in love with her boyfriend?

Review

Keeping it short and sweet is usually a good tactic – but at less than an hour and a half, “Lover For A Day” is surprisingly short, suggesting, perhaps that the director didn’t have too much to say with this movie.  If that’s the case, it’s understandable as to the reason why:  neither the characters nor the story go very far by the film’s conclusion.  In fact,“Lover For A Day” doesn’t really have an ending – it just stops.  There is precious little in the way of a resolution; instead of going from Point A to Point B, the characters go full circle.

It seems that the director may be trying to make a point not only about relationships (that they are inherently unstable because they have a life of their own) but also trying to show the immaturity of young women.  While the females in “Lover For A Day” come off as emotionally erratic, the character of the father seems more disciplined and serious in terms of how he views his familial and romantic obligations.  In that regard, viewing the movie is almost uncomfortable because it feels like the director as father is trying to lecture the actress as daughter. 

Following the screening was an interview with the film’s star, Esther Garrel, whose father, Philippe Garrel, directed “Lover For A Day”.  She said that his directing style requires a considerable amount of rehearsal; the cast rehearsed on a Saturday afternoon (once a week) for 30 weeks before shooting.  This winds up saving a considerable amount of time and money as the shoot is usually pretty quick – most scenes are done in only a single take.  The real work between the director and cast is done during the rehearsal; once the director is on the set, it’s all about the technical crew, getting the lighting and camera set-ups correct.