Thomas est amoureux

thomas in love is an engaging story and with aesthetically pleasing cinematography and colorful sets

i wish the relationships between the characters could have been developed a bit more fully. perhaps casting was the issue because one 'cyber-girlfriend' was much more engaging than the other, which leaves you missing her towards the end of the film.

it might have held together better if it had focused on one major relationship. almost seems as if there was enough raw material to develop into two separate films rather than trying to smush both relationships into one.

but overall, a really enjoyable film!

warning: fast forward past first few minutes if you don't know your date too well-- gratuitous cartoon sex could have been handled with more subtlety. didn't add much except titillation to the storyline.

if you liked this film, check out Lynn Hershman Leeson's TechnoLust. Leeson adds a bit more humor but similar mise en scene & aesthetic.

Thomas est amoureux (Thomas in Love) is perhaps one of the most unique and interesting films that I've seen. Although the introduction featuring 'Sextoon' could easily make it dismissable as a film about sex, hang on for a bit and you will discover quite an intelligent film.

It is the not-too-distant future and Thomas is an agoraphobe (one with fear of open air) who has kept himself in his apartment for eight years, communicating only by videophone functionality on his computer. He is advised to try dating services by his psychologist and meets women via the service, one of which starts to change his life.

The entire movie is filmed from the perspective of Thomas' computer screen, this itself gives the film a very unique effect. What also makes this movie interesting is Thomas' development of character - not only is it done very well, it is interesting to see how love can affect an agoraphobe, how he affects other people via the videophone, and how other people affect him. The way the future is portrayed is also quite interesting.

There isn't much to criticise the movie on (one could argue that there was quite a bit of explicit content, but it does seem necessary). That said, it isn't really a masterpiece. But it's still an interesting and impressive film. Recommended.

I got up early on Sunday to catch a matinee of Thomas in Love. I had a horrible headache (from all the drinking I did the night before) and i almost thought twice about going to see this french Sci-Fi story about an agoraphobic. But i got up, put on my clothes and head over to the Nuart, my second favorite place in L.A. The movie was astounding, told completely thought the computer and video/phone system that Thomas uses to keep in touch with the world. The movie has a very hopeful and frightening feeling to it, simultaneously, a walking contradiction, like Thomas himself. The film has a very sterile and detached details to it, which is the reason for my fear. Internet will only separate us more, one does not need to live the house, or socialize. With great special efx (that add to the story, not take over), and a simple, almost under written characters, the director manages to pull two love stories in two hours both of them different and haunting, like love itself. The acting was difficult just because is all talking heads, but still is fascinating.

One of the most stimulating, hilarious, thought provoking films I've seen in years. About an agoraphobe living maybe a decade into the future (in Belgium), when it is possible to have exclusively virtual relationships. Narrator/star has wry sense of humour, yet is quite compassionate and understanding as he goes about his daily business -- in all realms of life -- via interactive electronic media.

Film touches on experiences many of us have had in chat rooms, via email, on ICQ, on web pages, etc. It will probably seem very familiar to you. You're likely to find yourself nodding, "yes, yes, I've done that.... ah, yes, that's just the way it could be....."

Subtly and credibly casted, directed and acted. A film that is good enough to bear viewing two or three times. Something Ridley Scott might have made, if he'd thought of it first and if he'd sworn off violence.

I'm surprised by the quantity of gushing reviews of Thomas in Love, which IFC is now showing on cable TV in the US.

This movie feels like a sci-fi short story developed into a short film by a student. The characters aren't very well-developed and the plot is small. The setting is foreign enough to be futuristic, but still familiar. The camera work is unusual and that's half of its charm. It's an exploration of an idea. A one-line plot pitch sums up the whole movie in its entirety. So many other films manage to create a spell in the time allotted to them, or create amazing characters with a wealth of subtleties. This movie doesn't manage that. It doesn't even attempt it. This is not to say it's a bad movie, just that it's not really all that noteworthy either.

While Thomas in Love is thoroughly enjoyable, fun, cute, and stylish in a gently cyberpunk way, it's not a stand-out.