L’homme fidèle (2018)

Directed by: Louis Garrel | 75 minutes | comedy, drama | Actors: Louis Garrel, Laetitia Casta, Lily-Rose Depp, Joseph Engel, Diane Courseille, Vladislav Galard, Bakary Sangaré, Kiara Carrière, Dali Benssalah, Arthur Igual

Suppose you were once abandoned by a woman because she said she was pregnant (note!) by someone else. At the funeral of the other (Paul), a decade later, the spark jumps again between Abel (Garrel) and Marianne (Casta). Interesting enough, if done well. But Garrel sometimes seems studied disinterested, a lazy poseur. There is no other reason for this than self-overestimation. Or he had a terrible hangover every shooting day.

In any case, the slightly ironically titled ‘L’homme fidèle’ is a debut with a sense of style (shadowed décolletés for cast-iron balconies), with the limitations associated with a debut, as well as the difficult actor/director combination. Louis Garrel (35, son of Philippe Garrel) looks too young and too student-like for the lead role, which is less interesting than the plot. That makes this amuse-bouche a bit of a narcissistic operation, and it shouldn’t have been necessary.

If you look too young for a leading role, you should definitely not direct. Casta, who is only five years older, looks like a milf (excusez le mot) next to Garrel. In addition, the chemistry between the two and Casta’s dramatic abilities are fairly limited. Don’t worry: there is a second candidate, Paul’s younger sister Eve. He performs a light-hearted, open duel with Marianne, the only character whose fate you care about. Casta clearly lives up to this game; Eve is good at sucking fingers and keeps her hands clean for her tits. What the ladies see in Abel? Je ne sais quoi.

Still, this film is less irritating than you might suspect based on the above. Though poorly executed, the plot twists themselves are believable. Eve had better orgasms with other guys than with Abel, thinking about him in every case. Friendly. She is played by Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny and Vanessa Paradis. Some combinations are so promising that they cannot disappoint. A matter of good genes, shall we say. That is more than enough for an Insta-beauty, but not quite enough for the success of a film.