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| He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not |
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  (9/10)
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Runtime: 92 m |
| Public Rating: 9.78 (9 votes) |
Director: Laetitia Colombani |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Drama |
Year: 2002 |
| Writer(s): Laetitia Colombani, Caroline Thivel |
| Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Films |
| Reviewed by: Le Apprenti |
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He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not is not a ‘chick flick’ though it appears as such. Nor is it a standard romantic tale that most people are accustomed to. It is a drama akin in spirit to another classic film – Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon. Like the Japanese film, this French story is told from more than one point of view, in this case two: He Loves Me and He Loves Me Not.
First, the He Loves Me version from the perspective of the art student (Amelie sensation Audrey Tautou). She is infatuated with a married cardiologist (Brotherhood of the Wolf’s Samuel Le Bihan) whom she believes she is destined to be with after he divorces his wife. Like a love-struck schoolgirl, she thinks and speaks fondly of him everyday, showers him with love letters, sends him many of her artwork that depict him in a flattering light, and leaves numerous messages containing nothing else but her favorite love song on his answering machine. But her heart sank when her efforts are not returned or even acknowledged. The cardiologist is seen as an insensitive two-timer toying with her emotions without any regard to how she feels. She resorts to drastic means to get back at him, which turns sinister when one of the cardiologist’s patients is found dead. As her story closes, the cardiologist is handcuffed and escorted away by policemen for murder. The student, crushed upon seeing that the arrest ends up reconciling him with his wife, attempts suicide.
The He Loves Me Not version paints a different picture, according to the cardiologist. He is a devoted husband who is expecting a baby with his wife. He does not know the student nor is he involved with her in any way, romantically or casually. In short, he is not connected with her at all. Suddenly, he finds himself bombarded with amorous letters, gifts and paintings, possibly from one of his patients but whose identity he is unsure. The letters in particular, along with by the miscarriage of the child, causes him to be estranged from his wife. Not knowing whom the anonymous admirer is heightens his paranoia, and the drama in his personal life elevates his stress. Both factors form a volatile combination that provoke him to a blind assault on one of his patients, which subsequently indict him for her death. At the end of his story, it is firmly established that the art student's love affair is really a dangerous obsession.
Unlike Rashomon, where all of the characters lied in their points of view, the two sides of He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not are sincerely honest. Everything that the student and the cardiologist see – in their individual points of view – are exactly how it happens. Smart cinematography and slick editing enables each of their perspective to be wholly uncontradicting, leading the audience to believe what the student wanted them to believe at first about herself and her cardiologist lover, only to have the antagonist-victim relationship reversed in the He Loves Me Not. The plot twists are clever and perfectly executed. Even after the conclusion of He Loves Me Not, there are still some more twists left to lead the two main characters up to their final confrontation, its aftermath and the eye-raising ending.
This excellent and richly detailed screenplay is directed in tight but stylish fashion by auteur filmmaker Laetitia Colombani. In narrating He Loves Me, she plays with colors to create the impression of a love affair. In most of Tautou’s scenes especially when the student feels about him romantically, red is almost always present either in material or lighting reflections to enforce the illusion of the affair. When He Loves Me Not is told, the use of color effects disappear, exposing the love affair for what it truly is. Another interesting note is the director’s use of pop flavored music in the beginning of the film to convey a warm, pleasant and romantic atmosphere to lead into the romantic affair the art student is fancying in the He Loves Me side.
Colombani could not have succeeded in pulling off this deceptive romance story without the help of her cast. Tautou is a delight to watch, even when she turns antagonistic. Her smile and her natural charm sparkle on camera. Bihan plays off the cardiologist’s plight pretty well, particularly good in accentuating his emotions and paranoia. Sophie Guillemin in the female supporting role as the art student’s friend has good on-camera presence, suffering only from the extreme brevity of her scenes. Providing the male half of the support is Clément Sibony the student’s longsuffering friend David who genuinely cares for her. Supporting Bihan is Isabelle Carre as the cardiologist’s wife. Despite her beautiful face, which suits her character well as the spouse of Bihan’s cardiologist, her width of expression is limited especially where it concerns what her character has to deal with.
He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not receives little publicity, which is unfortunate because it is so wonderfully written and directed. On the other hand, it is probably difficult to market without giving away crucial details of the plot. But it is a richer and more intelligent film than the best of Hollywood no-brainer flicks, from the two sides of the story right down to the eye-raising ending. You either love it, or love it not. I’m betting you’ll love it.
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