Les Regrets (2009)

Directed by: Cedric Kahn | 102 minutes | drama | Actors: Yvan Attal, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Arly Jover, Philippe Katerine, François Négret, Lisbeth Wagner, Franck Mercadal, Vincent Berger, Gurvan Cloatre, Laurent Lévy, David Tissot, Emmanuelle Lepoutre

Big movie countries cast big shadows. For example, the French director Cédric Kahn must have regularly felt the spirit of François Truffaut when shooting ‘Les regrets’. In his twilight years, Truffaut made ‘La femme d’à côté’, a gripping drama about two former lovers who, as new neighbors, fall for each other again. A film with a closing scene that you will never forget.

In ‘Les regrets’, former lovers Mathieu and Maya unexpectedly bump into each other. Not as new neighbors but as passers-by in the parental village to which Mathieu has temporarily returned. Here too, the flames blaze high, here too it is the partners of the lovers who put a moral brake on the affair.

As a depiction of a scorching love, ‘Les regrets’ is completely successful. The horniness drips from the screen, so that as a viewer you immediately believe that these characters are no match for the attacks of animal lust. We see the trembling flesh, we hear the longing in the voices, we feel the feverish longing. With Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Yvan Attal, the film has protagonists who are always believable in their all-destroying desire.

Slightly less successful is the painting of partners and family. Maya’s husband barely appears in the play and Mathieu’s brother’s concerns add little to the story. There is an important role for Mathieu’s wife Lisa (nice role by Arly Jover), who tries to save what can be saved. Her wrestling gives the film just that little bit of extra tragedy.

Unfortunately, ‘Les regrets’ has the same flaw as its characters: the film doesn’t know when to stop. You don’t have to be an expert to see that it all should have ended with two text messages: a question, an answer. The drama then continues for a while, including an epilogue in which the main theme is literally spooned up. As if we hadn’t already understood.

Still, that shouldn’t be an excuse to let this drama slip. With its acting, dry humor, surprises in the plot and musical support from Nina Simone and Philip Glass, ‘Les regrets’ easily scores a satisfactory score. But this film is not going to be as unforgettable as ‘La femme d’à côté’.