Canções de Amor

Paris, romance, love songs, and maybe a little Pedro Almodovar mixed in.

Love Songs is just that - fourteen love songs, all very beautiful, probably available on You Tube, tied together with some dialog.

I'm not impressed with Louis Garrel, but maybe I am not supposed to be.

It is Ludivine Sagnier (Paris, je t'aime, Swimming Pool, 8 femmes) that sets my heart a flutter, whether she is singing or discussing the intricacies of three-way sex with her mum. No, there is no sex in the film, it's a romance.

Clotilde Hesme is the third member of the menage a trois.

Part 1 ended in a manner that I did not expect in a romantic film.

Everything changed after the tragedy and a sadness came over the film as people struggled to find love and deal with loss.

It was all about the music, however, and, in that sense, it was a good film.

I'm not sure that even at their most downbeat, Messrs Kretzmer, Boublil & Schönberg could have thought of singing about grey skies raining down thousands of needles - and they were talking about the French Revolution! Anyway, that's the type of lyric written for this quirkily entertaining story that starts with three in a bed. "Ismaël" (Louis Garrel), his girlfriend "Julie" (Ludivine Sagnier) and her friend "Alice" (Clotilde Hesme). That doesn't go so well, indeed life for "Ismaël" generally takes a turn for the worst when tragedy strikes and everyone has to make some practical and emotional adjustments to their lives. As time passes, though, the green shoots of recovery start to emerge - but not where anyone expects them. That's largely down to the enthusiastic "Erwann" (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet) who takes this complex but amusing look at the nature of human relationships full circle. Most of the musical numbers don't translate so well into English - the scanning and rhymes can sound a bit contrived, but the gist is there as the songs infill the narrative with some quite emotionally charged scenarios played out amidst the scenery of Paris. It can be cheesy at times, but it's essentially a story about the resilience of the human spirit to reboot and find new love where an old one has gone. Garrel is on good form here, some of his facial expressions just have to be seen as his character attempts to muddle through determined not to take the more obvious routes to happiness - despite himself, half the time. It's not deep and meaningful, but there are some salient points to be taken about grief and rejuvenation - and I did like the ending.

A typically powerful French film proving France as a great film making country! It is a dark comedy, with an intriguing structure...variously sad, funny and bizarre in equal measures. Some have described it as a musical comedy. It is not!

Intelligently choreographed performances from Louis Garrel as the central character, Ismael, from Ludivine Sagnier as his girlfriend Julie, from Clotilde Hesme as Alice, the third character in the love triangle. Chiara Mastroianni puts in a strong performance as Julie's sister, Jeanne.

Lovely images of grey, wintery Paris thanks to Rémy Chevrin; songs I want to hear again; memorable images of confused emotions and allegiances, and like Amelie,Delicatessen or Caché, it will stay with me a long time.

Brilliant, thanks Christophe!

I wonder why this gem of a film was released in secret, at least in the USA. I was literally dragged to see it by some friends - to whom I'll be eternally grateful. The film lives on its own with glances to the great Jacques Demy. Rains and umbrellas, songs and impossible love. Louis Garrel must be, by now, considered one of the greatest film presences of the new millennium. He is devastating and his relationship with the doomed Ludivine Sagnier has all the warmth and sexiness of the great romances. The entrance of the adorable Gregoire Leprince-Ruignet takes all our preconceptions and turns them around. This sensual coupling full of innocence has the power to seal a tragedy with love. I adored this movie and the makers should protest vigorously as the way the film was distributed in the United States.

I've been a fan of Louis Garrel ("The Dreamers") and Ludivine Sagnier ("Swimming Pool") for a few years now, so when I heard they were starring in a romance musical, I was really excited. "Les Chansons d'Amour" aka "Love Songs" met, actually exceeded, my expectations. The film is a gorgeous, sometimes poignant and subtly funny look at love and (straight, bisexual, homosexual) relationships in contemporary Paris. Its adorably improvised musical sequences, the beauty of the music and locations, the chemistry of the ensemble cast (Chiara Mastroianni, who looks a lot like her father, the late Marcello Mastroianni, delivers a captivating performance as Sagnier's sister), all add up to the enchanting final result. This is the third film director Christophe Honoré makes with Louis Garrel (after 'Ma Mère' and 'Dans Paris'), and they announced a sequel for 2011. I will definitely check it, but it will be hard to top "Love Songs", since it ended perfectly in my eyes. Whether the sequel will disappoint or not is another story; for now, just enjoy the real gem that these chansons are... "love me less, but love me a long time". 10/10.