Amour de Femme
by Sylvie Verheyde
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anthony Delon, Hélène Fillières, Jeannick Gravelines, Raffaëla Anderson, William WayolleDirector: Sylvie Verheyde
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 89 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-10-12
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Picture This Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Amour de Femme
Movie Review: A beautiful love story between two women
Summary: 5 Stars
"Amour de Femme" is one of those rare movies that are moody, subtle, and yet powerful all at the same time. A French film with English subtitles, "Amour de Femme" tells the story of Jeanne, a 35-year-old masseuse living in Paris, who has spent her entire life making other people feel better. Attending a party with David, her husband of seven years, Jeanne instantly connects with Marie, a dancer performing at the party. They spend the evening conversing about their love of dance, something Jeanne used to do, but has given up as her life took a different turn. Vowing to begin dancing again, Jeanne decides to take one of Marie's classes, and rediscovers not only the passion that's been missing from her life, but that she has feelings for this mesmerizing woman.
Although Jeanne's past is never explained, one gets the sense of a life of quiet desperation. Jeanne seems to be happy on the surface, but dig a little deeper and one finds a woman whose passion for life has fizzled out. She goes through the motions, living each day as she is expected--dutiful wife to David, loving mother to young Louis--until she meets Marie. Intrigued by the vitality of this woman, Jeanne undergoes a transformation that, at first, she finds confusing and frightening. Marie makes no secret of her attraction to women--and to Jeanne--and Jeanne, while drawn to her, struggles with conflicting emotions, eventually running back home to the safety of the known.
The distance between Jeanne and her husband continues to grow, and Jeanne finds herself thinking of Marie more and more; the quiet desperation invading her every waking moment. She again finds herself at Marie's class, this time taking her up on an offer for dinner. They go to Marie's apartment where she begins to prepare dinner for the two, when Jeanne boldly decides to ask Marie to kiss her. The tender kiss in turn leads to a night of lovemaking between the two. They continue having clandestine rendezvous for several weeks, and one can see the joy growing in Jeanne's life at her newfound feelings.
It's only a matter of time before Jeanne finds herself in love with Marie, torn between the life she had and the one she is creating with Marie. The ensuing drama that occurs between Jeanne and David as she takes steps that will radically change her life, are intense and passionate. During the next few scenes, we see an entirely different Jeanne as she makes up her mind, finds herself, and makes decisions that will change her life forever.
"Amour de Femme" stars Helene Fillieres as Jeanne. At first, I thought the actress portraying Marie was very short, but further investigation revealed that Fillieres is actually six-feet tall! She reminds me of a young Gia Carangi in many shots, having that androgynous beauty about her. Fillieres, as Jeanne, is a formidable screen presence: her stormy beauty simultaneously suggesting the terror with which she at first cowers from love's promise, then lunges at it hungrily, epitomizing Jeanne's greatest question in life: who is this woman that I am becoming?
Raffaela Anderson portrayal of Marie is the very picture of courageous self-determination, whether romancing Jeanne in quiet conversation, or wildly dancing with a commanding ferocity.
I found "Amour de Femme" to be highly reminiscent of another favorite movie of mine, "When Night is Falling." Both of these movies tend toward subtlety and imagery to tell their stories instead of hand-holding the viewer with endless dialogue and background explanations. If you like your movies spelled out in great detail, you probably won't like "Amour de Femme" or "When Night is Falling." "Amour de Femme" is the kind of movie that you think about, watch again, and enjoy even more the second time around as you capture the nuance of the wonderful performance.
One thing to remember when watching this film is that it is a foreign film and not necessarily up to Hollywood cinematic standards. The musical soundtrack leaves quite a bit to be desired, bordering on tastelessly pornographic, and the coloring of the movie tends toward dark and moody.
Nevertheless, if you can get past the technical inadequacies of the film, you will find yourself immersed in a beautiful, moving love story about the "love of women." "Amour de Femme" is a movie to be remembered.
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