He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

There may be more wonderful actresses than Audrey Tautou but the Sage humbly submits that there is none more wondrous! However the follow up to the charming Oscar-nominated hit “Amèlie” was always going to be subject to much scrutiny. Wisely, she's decided to sidestep the fairytale image of that film, instead going for a much darker role in Laetitia Colombani's “He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not”.

In He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not the adorable Audrey Tautou from Amèlie plays the central role in a deceptive story of a rather unusual romance. He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not (“A la folie...pas du tout” in the original French) offers a surprisingly dramatic romance with a twist which keeps the audience guessing until the end.

It would spoil the film's clever design to reveal what happens halfway through, so let's just say that Tautou is cast as a winsome girl in the sunny town of Bordeaux whose relationship with a married doctor has more layers than first it seems. Samuel LeBihan, from Brotherhood of the Wolf, plays the doctor, but it's the casting of cutie-pie Tautou that sets up the movie's gradually sinister undertow. He Loves Me…He Loves Me Not, in the true form of French films, is not quite what it seems at first glance. Angélique, played by bright-eyed actress Audrey Tautou is a young woman working in a café to support her studies as an art student. Although having just been selected for a generous scholarship, Angélique’s heart is elsewhere, focused upon her love affair with cardiologist Loïc Le Garrec (Samuel Le Bihan). Her love knows no limits and she sends thoughtful anonymous gifts to the doctor, who cannot guess who they are from, but who accepts them as appreciative gestures from patients whom he has cured.



We see her follow him furtively at a party; we see him smiling fondly over her gift of a single rose; we see all sort of besotted trysts. But then, a good way into the movie, everything is rewound and we see everything again from his point of view. It becomes clear that she is a stalker, an "erotomaniac" obsessed with a man who hardly knows she's alive. Audrey Tautou plays an art student who is deeply in love with this married man. She is attentive and caring, doing all she can to make this man happy. However his unwillingness to leave his wife begins to change Audrey as she becomes increasingly distressed and her character transforms beyond recognition and it is not until later on in the film that you discover the cause behind these changes. Audrey is thoroughly convincing and a truly remarkable actress, bringing you into the story straight away and not leaving you a shadow of a doubt that her words are true.

Director Laetitia Colombani's inventive structure plays a satisfyingly tricky game with the audience, and may have some viewers going back to the beginning to make sure they saw what they thought they saw. Just don't go in expecting Amèlie, Deuxième Partie and you should find this an ingenious little number. For those of us who thought Audrey Tautou's character in Amèlie was a bit creepy and psychotic, this film makes an interesting, if faintly challenging companion piece, directed by 26-year-old first-timer Laetitia Columbani. Tautou does her gamine act once again in a film that blends Amèlie with Fatal Attraction and a touch of The Sixth Sense.


Audrey Tautou

The film combines comedic moments with serious drama beautifully as the story twists and turns. You will feel yourself swept into this film due to the brilliant acting, beautiful directing and outstanding script. The film is thoroughly moving, making you laugh, cry as well as think. Not only was the story thought provoking but it was also a very enjoyable cinematic experience.

Angélique's world of soft focus romanticism is full of reds and warmth while Loïc lives and works in a colder, more blue-toned space. Tautou shines as Angélique, looking as fresh and as dewy as a freshly picked flower herself in the florist’s scenes but convincingly descending into madness as the film progresses.

First time writer and director Colombani doesn't quite manage to pull the whole thing off but there's enough in “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not” to show promise for the future. An interesting experiment and almost a precocious masterpiece, I’m sure Hitchcock wasn’t directing anything as accomplished at the age of 26.

I recommend this film to everyone especially those who love beautifully created scenes, a great story and a film with real depth of emotion. People who feel they do not like "arty" films or subtitled films are missing out on the real challenging journey which this movie brings you on.