Benoît Jacquot’s subdued melodrama begins in a most typical manner: Marc (Benoît Poelvoorde), a tax inspector, misses his train on his way back to Paris, and while walking around, looking for a hotel to spend the night, he meets Sylvie (Charlotte Gainsburg), an enchanting good looking woman about to turn 40 — he’s just turned 47.
As they stroll around, they talk about this and that but say very little about each other. Soon, it is plain clear they have connected, even if they are total strangers — or precisely because of it.
The night feels so romantic that the newly-made couple opts not to sleep together right away and, instead, agree to meet a few days later in a specific spot.
As you’d expect, Sylvie will be at the right place at the right time, but Marc runs into unforeseeable trouble and can’t make it. So there goes the happy present and future of love at first sight.
Sometime later on, Marc meets another woman, Sophie (Chiara Mastroianni), unaware of the fact that she’s Sylvie’s sister, who by then has moved to the US with her husband. When will Marc find out? Will Sylvie come back to spoil his happiness? Wait, is he actually happy with the tranquil and nurturing love he shares with Sophie, or would he rather live a torrid love affair with Sylvie?
So far, pretty generic stuff. And even once the film keeps unfolding, there won’t be any real surprises — except for the ending, romantic and realistic at once.
But what makes a strong difference here is how Benoît Jacquot tells the story: with a suave gliding camera that provides a smooth visual rhythm, static shots that ask viewers to observe the lovers’ intimacy and the apparently insignificant signs, naturalistic dialogue that spontaneously gives way to a more poetic edge, compelling and heartfelt performances that speak of real-life individuals, quite smartly constructed ellipsis that leaves viewers to understand on their own just precisely what sometimes matters the most, and last but by no means least, an ominous musical score that accompanies slightly idyllic images — and so an uneasy weirdness arises out of the blue.
For the most part, it’s very easy to be immersed in the drama, as the whole atmosphere is quite enveloping without ever being forceful or overwhelming.
Moreover, because they way the characters struggle with their dilemmas is as familiar as it is emphatic, and while we’re always talking about melodrama, it’s not the heavy-handed type filled with explosive bouts of passion.
Nonetheless, these characters make some decisions in the end that may catch you off guard. Or not. In any case, you are likely to be moved by them.
Production notes
3 coeurs (France, 2014). Written by Benoît Jacquot, Julien Boivent. Directed by Julien Boivent. With Benoît Poelvoorde, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve. Cinematography: Julien Hirsch. Running time: 106 minutes.
