Coup de foudre

I first saw Entre Nous in the mid-to-late 80's. At the time, the list of "lesbian movies" could be counted on your fingers with several left over. The majority of those had one party returning to men while the 'die hard dyke' was left with a broken heart. Even "Desert Hearts", one of the more positive movies out in the 80's had one character leaving the other kind of up in the air. The fact that this was a true story, written by one of the character's daughters, who was obviously not forever scarred by her mother choosing a woman over her father made it even more positive. The history is clear for those who know anything about France during WWII. It's not an action-packed movie, it's not supposed to be. The characters are not perfect, they're real people. I wouldn't call it the greatest movie of all time but I own it and I feel that it's worth watching. Besides, Miou Miou is HOT. *grin*

The Germans have broken through the Maginot Line like rotten burlap, and France has made a humiliating peace. Miou-Miou, Isabelle Huppert -- odd to think of her so early in her career she's second-billed -- and their husbands leave Paris to try to take up lives in Vichy France. Times are hard, everything is shabby, including the men's business schemes, and they're hard on their wives, who draw closer in reaction.

It's a very nice feminist movie that doesn't make the men monsters -- they're just as bewildered with a world turned upside down as anyone else. Nonetheless, it's a pleasure to watch these two fine actresses give their performances as they come to understandwhat friendship means.

I hadn't seen this movie when it opened because I was at a different point in my life and was watching too many women's films in film school. Finally, 37 years later, I decided to give it a chance. I was enraptured by the style of the film, the acting, the flesh and blood characters, the beautiful protagonists. It is somewhat slow but its pace is not the kind of pointless slowness that one would sometimes expect. In other words, the film a story that takes place over 10 years through episodes that rely mostly on dialogue between the characters. Kurys, the director, always makes sure that there's a lot going on in every frame and, if you are a good observer, you will be able to contemplate the meticulous production design and the subtlety of the acting, which is constantly transmitting information about the time, the characters' development and the story. As far as women's films go, this one is not to be missed. Isabelle Huppert was never more enchanting. Super elegant cinematography by Bernard Lutic in Panavision.

Diane Kurys knew a lot about women's relationships. Growing up as a daughter of a couple who met on a camp during the Second World War, she examined female psychology in different stages of life through her films. One of the most successful ones was "Coup de foudre", made in 1983. The phrase means "love at first sight" and by seeing the film, I understand why it was chosen as its title.

It's 1942. A woman, Léna (Isabelle Huppert), marries a Jew (Guy Marchand) in order to escape deportation from France. Another, Madeleine, (Miou-Miou) loses her lover to an ambush of the Resistance. Their paths will cross ten years late. Now, Madeleine has a new husband, while Léna still lives with Michelle. They are both free-spirited, spontaneous and smart; in short, kindred spirits. So starts a friendship, a bit different from the others. So different, in fact, that it threatens to destroy the marriages of both.

At the time in which the film is set, women in France had few rights and lots of obligations imposed to them by the conservative society. They were responsible for the household, the children (because, of course they had children, how would France get brave sons and nice daughters?), and generally everything except work, which was the man's job. They couldn't even get a car without their husband's permission! It is evident that the two heroine's were oppressed in this society, which expected them to fulfill their role as prudent, responsible wives, without personal desires.

In the 80's, a lot had changed. Women were more independent, they could work without being discriminated against, except for some jobs, were they still faced criticism because of these professions being considered "masculine", like the police (see for this, "La femme flic" by Yves Boisset, also starring Miou-Miou). Women had it better, and so started to examine their position during these decades of oppression that had preceded their own. "Coup de foudre" was a product of this process.

It is interesting to see how Kurys showed these women's position in the society. The heroines are just expected to give up on their dream of opening a boutique so as to devote their life to their families. And, what about the thought of them being friends, or even something more? How would the civilized French society accept this? Diane Kurys based the character of Isabelle Huppert on her mother, something which makes the story even more interesting. If the character is almost real, this means that her mother was actually treated like how the film showed in the 50's. To think of that now is truly depressing.

As for the performances, they were excellent. Both Miou-Miou and Isabelle Huppert were very convincing and likeable. The way they portrayed their friendship and how it grows was very sweet and kept the film going, since I couldn't wait to see how they would end up. The male actors were also commendable, especially Guy Marchand, who, with his performance as Michel, Léna's husband, represented an archetype of the classic 50's husband, one who is the breadwinner of the family, but doesn't hesitate to punish this family if the other members (especially the wife) don't behave the way he wants. I wonder if Guy Marchand had something with playing strict fathers, since his role in "P'tit con" (1984) was similar to his one in "Coup de foudre", if a little kinder.

The music was admirable for the fact that it transported me to this time. Comprised of French- and English-language hits of the time, it wasn't appealing to me aesthetically, but it retained the realistic character of the film.

All in all, I found the film interesting both from a sociological and an aesthetic perspective. It is admirable for the way it tried to do justice to women in a period when they were not exactly respected, and for its solid performances by capable actors. Watching this in a time when I will not be criticized for wearing trousers in public, or expected to have children by twenty, I felt glad not to have been born back then. Of course, this doesn't means that the 50's were only an oppressing time for women. There's always the other side, and I am eager to discover it.

This is a very moving film. I think I found it more sad than some of the other reviewers. It's really about the decline of a marriage through the incompatibility of the couple.

The incompatibility is brought home to the woman by her class, education, style, grace and education. (The sophisticated one, played by Miou Miou is just extraordinary acting). In essence, the sophisticated woman causes the central woman (played by Isabelle Huppert) to realize that her husband is a dolt, and that they share far more than she and her husband. The wonderful thing about the movie is that though the husband is a boob, insensitive and sometimes prone to violent anger, there is no doubt that he slaves for his family, is very humble, and deeply loves his wife and his two daughters - no question about it.

We get to see his pain as his wife falls out of love for him, his sometimes violent jealousy of the woman who has made his wife see him differently, and his heartbreak. It's quite profound. Those who say it all ends happily were watching another movie!

I loved the periods, the costumes, the settings - from Paris on Liberation Day through the 1940s and 1950s. Although it's the daughter's story, we see much of how the couple earlier met, married and began their married life. You will love it - it's more fast-paced than many French movies, and wrenching.