An Impossible Love

Sometimes I think it is only France that is producing one incredible film after another. I have a list of the great films that I have seen from this country ( the ones that I believe will last and be returned to as great works of art ) and this joins them. I watched it late at night and I could not sleep such was the impact. To tell its story is to do it a disservice. It is the story of a life, and the people in that life; it questions and it probes, and it shows how far we all are from knowing those who affect us during this short span of living that we have. Many philosophical questions are asked, and the scene at the end of the film between Virginie Efira and Jehnny Beth is so precise, so clear that my head was spinning with its truth and sometimes dreadful clarity. Society and us as individuals are pitilessly drawn into question, but all this would mean nothing without the direction of Catherine Corsini and the group of actors she has brought togethet. Efira is superb, and Jehnny Beth has a fierce force in her acting that I found overwhelming. I have admired Niels Schneider for quite a while, but here he surpasses himself. I am a poet myself, and one fine writer said about one of my poems that it was above criticism. So is this film. Like that elusive thing that we call truth it shifts and it changes, and perhaps truth in its essence is beyond us all, both in its certitude and its horror and its beauty. ' Un Amour Impossible ' cuts into the heart and the brain like a scalpel.

Very good performances and superb period atmosphere in this absorbing story of the relationship between a woman and a man who sees the relationship very differently to her perception. Bravely extends the story over a long period, over thirty years, and does so convincingly.

An impeccable film held together by astonishing performances and a very understated direction. I don't know if I am biased because French is my first language, but I found the film so incredibly real. Even at the lengthy runtime, I barely felt it. Corsini is at the top of their career with this film!

I did not seek out this film.

Watched it one Sunday afternoon on BBC iPlayer.

I was feeling unwell and thought it looked gentle enough. There was no write up, so did not know what to expect.

It was a fine, intelligent film; Rachel was a wonderful character, I liked and understood her. It is this factor that sustains the film throughout. The two hours or so passed quickly; one becomes heavily invested in the central character.

One is left with no doubt about Phillippe from the start, he is not ordinary and totally narcissistic. Therein lies the reason for, what sometimes seems like, his unfathomable hold over Rachel. This is not about class differences or anything as mundane as that keeping lovers apart, this is about a true narcissist's manipulation of a trusting and loving girl / woman.

When adult Chantel, Rachel and Philippe's daughter, confronts Rachel at the end, Rachel's answer is believable; she simply did not conceive that the problems in their mother and daughter relationship, during Chantel's teenage years, was anything other than that she, Rachel, was simply not good enough.

I am trying not to give anything away, just watch the film and see it play out. Just remember that it is Rachel's life you are watching unfolding.

I was certainly gripped by the set-up. Fine performances, nicely directed and stylish portrayal of events. My issue was with the sudden and what seemed to me, convenient/unearned simplistic ending. I simply did not 'buy' the ending. I agree with another user review which suggests we are simply presented with a 'one-note villain. Are we really to believe a Mother/woman who never responds vocally to a man such as Phillipe is a reliable narrator ? Is the Mother as innocent and worthy/decent as the character suggests? It has many strengths - but ultimately, it sloppy, rushed, convenient ending frustrated me and really had me wondering what exactly the director wants us to take away from this epic tale which covers 60 years.