Film Review: A FAITHFUL MAN (2019) DIR. LOUIS GARREL
“A Faithful Man”
This charming quintessentially French romantic comedy starring and directed by Louis Garrel is perfect summer fare, like a chilled glass of crisp rosé. The film opens with the tousle-haired Abel (Garrel) on his way to work, leaving the apartment he has shared with his girlfriend Marianne (Laetitia Casta) for the last three years. She casually halts his departure with the announcement that she is pregnant by their best friend Paul and that they plan to marry at the end of the month. She delivers her news in such a nonchalant en passant manner that the shell-shocked, clueless Abel shows almost no emotion as he packs up and leaves.
“A Faithful Man”
Time passes and Abel’s career as a journalist takes off and he gets on with his life. There are plenty of other women and he seems to be fully recovered from Marianne’s infidelity and Paul’s betrayal. That is until eight years later when he gets word of Paul’s sudden death by heart attack. Conflicted about attending the funeral, some sort of morbid curiosity propels him to go. The events which follow Abel’s reconnection to that chapter of his life are somewhat unlikely and convoluted and are clearly the influence of screen writer, Jean-Claude Carriere, After the funeral, Abel and Marianne’s relationship seems to pick up where it left off on the surface, with some significant differences. There is the presence of Joseph (Joseph Engels), Marianne’s precocious 8-year old, Abel’s lingering mistrust of Marianne, and the newly-unleashed infatuation of Eve (Lily-Rose Depp), Paul’s younger sister, for Abel.
“A Faithful Man”
It seems that Eve has been harboring an adolescent crush on Abel for years and now that she is an adult, she is emboldened to act on it, much to the surprise of Abel. It becomes a romantic triangle, with the dewey-eyed sexy blond competing for Abel’s affection with youthful abandon. Complications created by the devious machinations of Joseph, doing his best to thwart Abel’s intrusion into his life launch an amusing plot twist. The challenge which Marianne proposes to Abel involving Eve is a risky one, which could have ended badly, but in typical French comedic style brings about the the more satisfying ending.
There is much to appreciate here. The setting is Paris, always beautiful and romantic. The cast is attractive and well-directed. Laetitia Casta, as Marianne, plays a feminine, yet strong-willed, successful professional woman and provides a distinct contrast to the hapless, non-committal Abel, who is passed around like a football by the women. The adorable Lily-Rose Depp plays Eve like a contemporary Lolita. But my favorite is the sly little Joseph Engels, who plays Abel like a violin. The film fits comfortably in the French New Wave tradition of Eric Rohmer and Francois Truffaut. If you find that appealing, then this one’s for you. I found it delightful.
