– Fabien Gorgeart delivers a delightful family comedy about a sentimental past which resurfaces in a very surprising way
Vincent Macaigne, Mélanie Thierry, Lyes Salem, Saul Benchetrit, Céleste Brunquell and Laure Calamy in What Is Love?
“A profound, concrete reason which would prove that your union was unsound and that the root of your relationship was fundamentally flawed.” It sounds dramatic, but Fabien Gorgeart’s 3rd feature film What Is Love? – released in French cinemas on 6 May via Zinc and Memento – is actually an incredibly funny comedy which also happens to be steeped in sensitivity, with an undertone of melancholy. It has to be said, the filmmaker excels in the art of delicately depicting emotional ties with just the right level of feeling, as demonstrated by Diane Has the Right Shape and A Family For 1640 Days. But this time round, Gorgeart has his impeccable troupe of actors – led by the intense and charismatic Laure Calamy – dancing to the tune of a screwball comedy as he takes them on a wholly unexpected religious journey which sees them travelling from Rouen to Rome.
“The path of truth to obtain an annulment is often torturous”. Divorced from Fred (Vincent Macaigne) for over 20 years, Marguerite (Laure Calamy), who is now building a happy life with Sofiane (Lyes Salem) and their teenage daughter Raphaëlle (Saül Benchetrit), finds herself faced with a very curious request on the part of her ex-husband (with whom she has a daughter called Léa – Céleste Brunquell – who lives in Crete): to annul the religious component of their marriage so that Fred’s new partner Chloé (Mélanie Thierry) can get married in church in full alignment with her Catholic faith.
“Was love really there at the beginning? Were you a virgin? How many partners had you had before your union?”: the interview at the diocese to evaluate the validity of their religious matrimonial bond (because Christian marriage is supposed to be an eternally binding promise) sorely tests quick-tempered Marguerite’s goodwill. Other strategies are soon considered, notably appealing directly to the Vatican’s Tribunal of the Roman Rota, which is believed to be more tolerant. But testimonies need to be gathered, memories transcribed, and lawyers consulted, providing Margerite and Fred with just as many opportunities to re-examine their former love and run the risk of reviving it, just as their two blended families are getting comfortable in the Italian capital for an unprecedented Roman Holiday…
Combining a sentimental journey back in time (a wedding film, an unwanted pregnancy, the carefree nature of youth seen through an adult lens) with a highly accurate snapshot of the collective family’s different facets (a loved-up teenage girl, an elder daughter who likes girls, a partner and stepdad who’s supportive but slightly concerned about the situation, etc.), the film skilfully oscillates between the ludicrous (verging on farcical) nature of this state of affairs to a fairly naturalistic, gentle and modern portrayal of the different ways we love and build families today. It’s a winning combination of light-heartedness and depth, which ultimately earned What Is Love? the Grand Prize and Best Actress Award at the Alpe d’Huez International Comedy Film Festival.
What Is Love? was produced by Deuxième Ligne Films and Petit Film, in co-production with France 3 Cinéma. Ginger & Fed are steering world sales.
(Translated from French)
