Film: J’ai Horreur De L’amour
Release date: 21st June 2006
Certificate: 15
Running time: 130 mins
Director: Laurence Ferreira Barbosa
Starring: Jeanne Balibar, Jean-Quentin Châtelain, Laurent Lucas, Bruno Lochet, Patrick Catalifo
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Studio: Gaumont
Format: DVD
Country: France
J’ai Horreur de L’amour is an entanglement of genres and ideas. It dances over crossed paths of comedy and tragedy; it casts a shadow over its ironic humour with a touch of death and homicidal madness. Director Laurence Ferreira Barbosa introduces us to her talents at portraying the eccentricities of people in this obscure take on a skewed love triangle, with protagonist Annie becoming involved in various relationships which all have sinister undertones.
Jeanne Balibar is cast as 34-year-old divorcee Annie Simonin, a mildly unorthodox doctor who smokes and is fond of the odd leisurely liquor. We are introduced to Annie’s social context early on, where we meet her ex-husband at a dinner party as he unsuccessfully attempts to seduce Annie in the host’s bathroom. It is at this dinner party where we also encounter Richard Piotr (Jean-Quentin Châtelain), a hypochondriac actor who reveals that he is terrified of passionate love due to a previous traumatic experience.
Annie’s practice is in the middle of a quiet August season, and so when Richard begins to turn up at her surgery without an appointment, she is happy to attend to his constant medical-based anxieties. With her love life paralleling her empty office, Annie is keen to engage in playful flirtation in response to Richard’s advances. They kiss over a flu jab, which sparks from Richard an unwelcome tirade of distress as he irrationally convinces himself that Annie has infected him with AIDS.
Alongside Richard, Annie is visited regularly by ex-junkie Laurent, played by Laurent Lucas. Laurent has AIDS, but he adamantly refuses to consider treatment as he continues to endure his own defeatist existence.
The dismal atmosphere in Annie’s surgery is brightened by her decision to employ Bruno, an ex-convict who once tried to sell her paintings on a door-to-door money-raising scheme. Bruno’s dutiful attempt at following his receptionist role creates light-hearted amusement inside a sombre setting, but Annie’s patients soon begin to drag her life into a whirlwind of emotional turmoil that twists itself into a rather extraordinary ending…
The film’s opening scene features Annie blithely driving through Paris on a Vespa, with the Sacre Coeur in the background and accompanied by a charming French song. This seductive move is not at all a symbolic introduction to J’ai Horreur de L’amour; on the contrary, it is a carefree calm before the revelation of the film’s darkly humorous storm. Barbosa does not use overt stylistic choices in order to embellish her movie; instead, she allows settings to remain simply background areas upon which to place her characters. There are no picturesque Parisian backdrops, there are no arty photographic shots, and there are no visual trimmings.
To compliment the minimal cinematography, music is sparse and used simply as an enhancement. The soundtrack is comprised primarily of Joe Dassin’s ‘Salut Les Amoureux’, which opens and closes the film, and is also played sardonically over the scene where Richard threatens to hang himself in Annie’s living room. The record is recurrent in Annie’s apartment, and is used figuratively as it sticks on the word ‘tomorrow’ while Laurent is present – a subtle indication that his future has been tainted with the uncertainty of a terminal illness.
Jeanne Balibar has since become an established French actress, with subsequent work including a lead role in the 2009 Cesar-nominated animation A Town Called Panic. She brilliantly plays the part of Annie, exuding a classy ambience and an impeccable method of delivering understated humour. Balibar is skilfully present amidst Lucas and Châtelain, conveying an appropriate level of on-screen chemistry, particularly in the implicit development of romance between the characters of Annie and Laurent. Even interactions with supporting roles glide into place seamlessly - Laurent’s chain-smoking, heroin-addicted companion Marie and Annie’s assistant Bruno are equally charismatic in their performances.
Laurent Lucas is remarkably fascinating in this debut role, which has sparked off a career involving countless titles since. His performance as a downbeat AIDS sufferer is raw and sincere; he flawlessly maintains a distant expression of sorrow and speaks with monotony in a wonderful display of pessimism. His character allows the director to pepper the dialogue with profound contemplations about the concept of death, which could not have been acted out better. In an exquisite moral contrast, Jean-Quentin Châtelain succeeds in portraying Richard, the polar opposite of Laurent. He is overstated, he is creepy, he pulls constant expressions of disdain – an insatiable maniac.
The humour in J’ai Horreur de L’amour is ironic and modest - perfect for lifting the subject of death to a bearable level. The script just manages to execute the film’s wit without mocking its sincerity; however, while the acting is superb, there remains at times a slight difficulty in the severe mix of genres. The absurdity of Richard’s accusations renders his character laughable, which dampens the actual severity of his ruthless behaviour. While Barbosa is undoubtedly gifted in scripting comedy and drama, their amalgamation limits the development of both until the performances are occasionally uncomfortable to watch. And although it may be useful for thorough character development, a running time of over two hours dilutes the film’s momentum, thus diminishing the potential for impact.
J’ai Horreur de L’amour is an intriguing and honest exploration of death, madness and relationships. The subject of AIDS underpins the entire film, and yet it is not the focal point, allowing room to show off Barbosa’s excellence at writing dry comedy. However, the film’s potential as a serious statement remains hindered by its fantastic humour, and vice versa. J’ai Horreur de L’amour is by no means a failure; but the film as a whole doesn’t quite have the power to become a masterpiece. NM
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