Louis Garrel (The Dreamers, Les Deux Amis) returns to the Toronto International Film festival as director and lead role in a screening of A Faithful Man (L’Homme Fidèle).
It’s a classic tale with a modern approach and Garrel proves he has a voice worth listening to.
The story surrounds Abel, played by Garrel, a charming Parisian dumbass who finds himself in an ultra-French love triangle.
After finding out his girlfriend Marianne (Laetitia Casta) is pregnant and marrying his best friend Paul, Abel tries to move on without much success.
Years pass, Paul dies—we never get to meet the guy—and Abel lunges at the opportunity to get back together with the love of his life.
He doesn’t know it yet, but Paul’s younger sister Eve (Lily-Rose Depp) has been pining for him for years and is finally ready to take what she thinks belongs to her.
It’s a battle between an old flame and a new spark over a guy who doesn’t seem to wash his hair often. Cue the romantic comedy.
It wouldn’t be a French film if it wasn’t filled with nostalgic shots of Paris, awkward interactions, and people looking longingly at each other for an uncomfortable amount of time.
The film’s themes of drama, murder mystery and coming-of-age all help it surpass a generic attempt to tell a romantic story.
Garrel brings a breath of fresh air to the French New Wave style of filmmaking, and it morphs seamlessly into a modern classic everyone can enjoy.
Depp brings her undisputed charm and intrigue to the film and captivates every scene.
In what seems to be her best role to date, Depp’s Eve is comparable to that of Anne Baxter’s Eve in All About Eve (1950)—innocence and ambition blended together to construct an intricate character who, in spite of her at-times-childish actions, uses her wits and beauty to her own advantage and succeeds.
Garrel, best known for The Dreamers (2003), joked at the screening about his acting career involving so many love triangles.
“At school, people choose Math or English,” he said. “I chose love triangles.”
Garrel struggled to explain what the film was really about, which is understandable—it’s messy and at times confusing, but in a way only organized chaos can be.
A Faithful Man is Garrel’s second time directing a feature and it’s clear his directorial venture is evolving into a voice the French cinema needs. θ
