Les nuits de la pleine lune

"Les Nuits de la Pleine Lune" is by far one of the best movies I have seen. Rohmer manages to capture the full complexity of a relationship that is on the rocks. Fabrice Lucini as Octave is very believable, even during his pensive rants in front of the camera for an extended period of time. Pascale Ogier as Louise gives a very good performance, showing us how a woman like Louise acts when caught in the middle of trying to decide between two men and resisting another. She is sometimes seducing, sometimes a devoted girlfriend, and sometimes just acts like she wants to run away from it all. Tchéky Karyo is perfect in his ability to show Remi's awkwardness in social situations. Overall, an excellent movie.

--Céline. Contact me at Niancul@aol.com

"But Louise cannot have her cake and eat it too, she is over-confident in rationalizing her and Remi's situation, openly suggesting that their relationship can be terminated if they find someone else whom they love more, only to be hoisted by her own petard, after finally bringing a random guy to her pied-à-terre, Louise has a rude awakening on this night of full moon, that she has finally gotten over with meaningless sex, and it is Remy, their home in the banlieue beckon her, however, Rohmer makes it clear that it is not just she who has the say-so in this precarious relationship, but at the very least, she has some place to return to when her entire world crumbles down."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks

One of the things Rohmer does which I have not seen with any other director is to take a location, seemingly dull, far from beautiful and somehow he renders it of utmost important to his story. In 'La femme d'aviateur' it's the interiors of Paris apartments and a moderate park in Paris called Le Parc de Buttes Chaumont. In 'Pauline a la plage' and 'Le Rayon Vert' there is an emphasis on the changes in people when you take them out of their daily routine and normal environment, specifically when they are on vacation, a very important part of French life.

In this film 'Les nuits de la pleine lune' (Full Moon in Paris) and L'ami de mon amie', he films relatively new suburbs of Paris with new ideas on architecture, new ideas on living and with young successful people. Most directors would never bother to even visit these grotesque modern suburbs, let alone film a film there. However it works with this film and L'ami de mon amie'. Why I don't know, but we know that it is a crucial element to the emotional journey of the main character in this film - her displacement between Paris and the suburbs. She prefers the chaos of Paris to the straight lines and cubism of her suburban apartment.

I thought Pascale Ogier was fantastic as the lead in this film. I think Rohmer has a fantastic knack for choosing lead woman, with only one exception in my mind to this rule. They are usually petite, fragile, mystically beautiful.....What I thought of when watching Pascale Ogier as Louise was a cat. Her slinky movements, her lazy eyes, her calmness, her desire for space - not your average women. I read just one year after making the film she died of a heart attack at the age of 26.

All in all an average or above average Rohmer film (which it not a bad thing). It sweeps over you with it's subtle charms and before you know it you will be under the film's spell.

I enjoy this film very much. Rohmer as a way to describe feelings, to describe how those feelings can get all twisted sometimes. Love and the numerous questions it brings is well put to light. Books, smart funny talks and more... Pascale Ogier is superb. As for Fabrice Luchini, he's one of my favorite actor. He performs so well in this kind of role. And the name "Octave" fits him like a glove!

Out of 100, I gave it 81. That's good for *** out of ****.

Seen at home, in Toronto, on January 14, 2003.

Full Moon in Paris (1984) Directed by: Éric Rohmer Starring: Pascale Ogier, Tchéky Karyo, Fabrice Luchini, Virginie Thévenet

Éric Rohmer's Full Moon in Paris (Les Nuits de la pleine lune) is a beautifully restrained and intellectually rich meditation on love, freedom, and the contradictions of modern relationships. The story centers on Louise (Pascale Ogier), a young interior designer who leads a double life-living with her boyfriend Rémi in the suburbs, while keeping a separate apartment in Paris to preserve her independence.

Louise believes she can have it both ways: the comfort of a stable relationship and the freedom of solo nights out in the city. But under the full moon-Rohmer's subtle metaphor for emotional volatility-desires surface, truths emerge, and her illusion of balance begins to unravel. Her flirtation with other men, especially her friend Octave (Fabrice Luchini), is less about passion and more about identity-about testing the boundaries of selfhood in love.

Pascale Ogier, in one of her final roles before her untimely death, delivers a luminous, deeply nuanced performance. She captures the internal conflict of a woman who craves autonomy but fears solitude. Rohmer's direction is, as always, dialogue-driven and observational-favoring natural light, long conversations, and unadorned realism.

What makes Full Moon in Paris so compelling is its emotional subtlety. There's no melodrama-just the quiet ache of human contradiction. Rohmer doesn't judge Louise; he lets her live out her choices, even when they lead to unexpected sorrow.

The final scene is a revelation-melancholy and quietly devastating. It's a film that lingers, not with answers, but with the haunting question of whether love and freedom can truly coexist. A bittersweet gem of French cinema, both romantic and ruthlessly honest.

Review written by artist jayakumar jrain.