Atrévete a amar

I love this film. It's light, dreamy, and colorful. The movie does not ask you to take it seriously, but simply to watch as Julien and Sophie play with the elements of conventional life. I'm reminded of a character from Milan Kundera's Immortality, who played with the world in the same fervor and commitment.

We see Julien and Sophie's games becoming more and more elaborate as they grow up, affecting other lives even. And when they do, you understand at most levels that they do not mean to hurt other people. They just play as the game is supposed to be played.

It is fantasy in that it lets you suspend realism for a moment, and dwell on the things we take for granted many times- laughter, romance, and childlike innocence. This movie made me smile, and I have no need to question motivations etc. It would be absurd to questions things that are meant to be left alone in their wonder.

It will make you gasp, laugh, cry, scream, sing, and love. This is the greatest comedic love story I've ever seen on the silver screen. You will never forget this movie, from its playful beginning to its OMG-what-just-happened ending. For those of you who don't speak French, you do not need subtitles to understand the beauty, the depth, and the tragically hilarious love affair of Julien and Sophie. The movie will take you to every extreme of human emotion and leave you completely breathless with its UNBELIEVABLE ending. I was so entranced by the film that I sat there through the entire end credits, hoping for just a little more. This is a movie you cannot miss...it is one of the greatest films to be made in France. Watch it....I dare you. Are you game or not?

It's funny how when it comes to french movies, french people are just so harsh (i'm refering to previous comments about this movie and others)!

This one starts really (i mean really) good and, it's true, goes through worse scenes ... but the end ... well I loved it! It sure can be accused to mimic american movies (just listen to the music and the "passing-above" camera moves) but shortly after it really turns ... well ... "french". But it's not a bad thing in my opinion. Talking about the characters, You just can't help thinking "what's with them ?", why are they acting like they do ? I like to think it's because of a tradition in french cinema. Characters have to be twisted and torn apart because of their deep feelings.

In the sequence of events, it can be perceived as seemingly weird ... and I have no answer to that ... Yet I appreciated it quite much and I'm looking forward to watching the next Samuell's piece. I rated it 9 out of 10. And i can only tell: watch it!

This may be one of the best French films I have seen in a long, long time. In many ways it reminds me of Berliner's "Ma Vie en Rose" (and not just because this film also uses Zazie's brilliant rendition of the Piaf song). It has much of the same Pierre et Giles aesthetic that made the other film so memorable and the child actors also display a similarly remarkable complexity that is so rare when they are usually depicted in film.

Very rarely does a film have the capacity to surprise me this much - either with the usually predictable storyline or when trying to understand the character's motivations etc. But this film continually had me reeling when trying to get a grip on it and, in the end, just when I thought it was a predictable love story...!! For this reason alone I found it a most remarkable film and I would strongly recommend seeing it.

This film will not appeal to lovers of mainstream American cinema - it is too intelligent in the way it challenges our usual expectations. We usually expect to finish watching a film and have no questions - to have everything wrapped up nice and neatly so we can get on with our lives.

If you do not want to suddenly find yourself asking "Pour quoi?" a week later or waking up with the haunting refrains of the unique renditions of the Piaf song in your head, then I would suggest you rent a more predictable movie.

However, if you like being alternately surprised, delighted and haunted by a unique film and wonderful soundtrack - check this one out.

To understand "Love Me If You Dare", one must harken back to childhood when fondness translated to teasing. So it is with Julien and Sophie, the central characters of this film, who in childhood become fast friends because of a game they share (or visa versa) which involves one challenging the other to do something outrageous while passing a gayly decorated candy canister to them. Upon completion of the dare, the canisters is passed back and the dared person announces "Game!". And so it goes, back and forth, as the children grow to adolescents and then to adults with the brinksmanship and friendship becoming increasingly substantial and the ubiquitous canister the ever present reminder of their unspoken bond. Finely crafted though sometimes disjointed, this creative work is full of life and energy and passion and its ever escalating story is maddeningly captivating and unsatisfying as it waxes toward its inevitable and somewhat clumsy conclusion. A love it or hate it audience dividing flick, "Love Me..." can be appreciated on as many levels as it can be condemned. The only way you'll know if you like it is to watch it. (A-)