Following his stunning debut, Le Souffle, French cinemas enfant terrible Damien Odouls second film is an emotionally charged marital drama set in the late 60s and early 70s.
It concerns the turbulent relationship between errant husband Jacques (Magimel) and his long-suffering wife Lou (Casta) after the birth of their son.
Odoul creates whole worlds for his movies that are always very particular to him. While overwhelmingly successful in Le Souffle and the as-yet-unreleased After Were Gone, here it is often a struggle to feel a proper emotional connection to Odouls characters.
Nevertheless, you cannot fail to admire the boldness of the directors style and the completeness of his vision, as well as his audacious and highly successful decision to cast supermodel Casta in such a demanding role.