Look who’s stalking

>> Je crois que je l’aime is a light-hearted
but creepy romantic romp

by MALCOLM FRASER

Romantic comedies often feature characters engaging in behaviour that, in real life, would be considered highly questionable, if not legally actionable. Je crois que je l’aime, the new film from French writer/director Pierre Jolivet, takes this to new extremes. Lucas (Vincent Lindon), a wealthy captain of industry, falls in love at first sight with Elsa (Sandrine Bonnaire), an artist working on a ceramic floor design at his corporate HQ. But the treacherous world of international capitalism has made him paranoid, to the point of employing his own personal spy, Roland (François Berléand), who he promptly deploys to dig up any relevant dirt on Bonnaire and make sure she’s not working for his competition.

Berléand dutifully rigs up Bonnaire’s apartment and personal effects with an array of hidden cameras and microphones. So far, so creepy. But the laws of onscreen romance being what they are, the couple start to genuinely fall for each other. Eventually, Lindon realizes his paranoia is unfounded and calls off the espionage. But of course, he’s sown the seeds of trouble. To describe the plot any further would constitute spoiling, but it’s hardly surprising. Perhaps it’s an unfair judgement, as we don’t go to romantic comedies looking for bold narrative experimentation, but the story arc is as predictable as clockwork.

The two leads are enjoyable; Bonnaire in particular is vivacious and full of life. It’s easy to see why Lindon falls for her, though the opposite is hardly true; even aside from his spying ways, he has an air of entitlement and a terrible fried hairdo. But the schlumpy male lead winning the beautiful woman is such a staple of French cinema that it’s hardly notable. The real pleasure in the film is Berléand, a busy French character actor (you might recognize him from Ne le dis à personne or L’ivresse du pouvoir from the past year alone) whose solitary, dedicated spy is more interesting than the hero.

The French do light-hearted romance very well, and this is no exception; the music, production design and ensemble of supporting characters all contribute to a pleasantly insubstantial atmosphere. That said, some might find the tone a bit too light given the extreme creepiness of the subject matter.

Je crois que je l’aime opens
this Friday, Sept. 7

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