Anaïs in Love: Film Review
If you like films about messy, flighty women trying to figure life out, then Anaïs in Love will be right up your street.
The film stars Anaïs Demoustier as Anaïs, a carefree young woman who acts on impulse without thinking of the consequences. She is a free spirit who dodges her responsibilities – she is broke, behind on rent, late handing in her thesis and is reluctant to get a job. Anaïs thinks with her heart and can often be found pursuing her latest love interest.
After the end of her relationship with Raoul (Christophe Montenez), Anaïs begins an affair with an older man named Daniel (Denis Podalydès). She becomes fascinated by his longtime partner Emilie (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) and takes part in a writer’s retreat to get close to her.
This romance comedy-drama is primarily a character study of Anaïs – and what a fascinating character she is. Living like her must be exhausting – she is such a whirlwind, always running around the city late for something while chatting away on the phone. It was a joy being swept up in her world for a short while but I imagine she would be an annoyingly flaky friend!
Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet‘s screenplay was excellent; it felt so natural and well-observed. There are a couple of one-sided conversations where Anaïs spills her guts to a relative stranger and those felt so realistic and unscripted. There are moments of farce – particularly a scene involving a drugged lemur – that are hilarious, but there are also tender, heartfelt moments of romance. I was hooked on the dialogue from the outset and the way Anaïs talks a mile a minute while doing other things.
You can see why so many people fall in love with Anaïs – Demoustier is radiant and utterly charming and it’s easy to get caught up in the character’s pursuit of joy and happiness. She makes bad choices that many viewers may not agree with but she’s not dislikeable by any stretch of the imagination – she’s just a normal human being. She reminded me a lot of the lead in The Worst Person in the World.
This French film is a delightful queer comedy with a disarming lead character who is a joy to spend time with.
In selected cinemas from Friday 19th August