He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not Review

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
Angelique, a promising Parisian art student, is passionately in love with Loic, a 35 year-old married cardiologist and father-to-be. She is constantly dismayed by his failure to leave his wife, and his consistent breaking of dates. However, Loic's point of view is quite different.

by Danny Graydon |
Published on
Release Date:

22 Nov 2002

Running Time:

96 minutes

Certificate:

12

Original Title:

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Audrey Tautou cunningly avoids Meg Ryan-style typecasting in her first major role since captivating audiences in Amelie, by providing this dark romantic thriller with a rich performance that is a striking turnabout from the quirky charms of her crossover hit.

As the single-minded, fanatically devoted, yet charmingly wily Angelique, Tautou is a refreshing and genuinely unnerving alternative to the wide-eyed harpie seen in the likes of Fatal Attraction.

While she provides a strong anchor, it's Colombani's effective splitting of viewpoints (Angelique's, then Loic's) that magnificently underlines the vastly opposing sides of this love story while maintaining our sympathies.

It particularly pays off in the suspenseful second half, when the most innocent of actions lead to devastating results, and what was apparently casual becomes deeply manipulative. An accomplished debut and a well-executed glimpse of obsessive romance.

Hardly original, but absorbing. Tautou's performance bypasses lapses into cliched dramatics.
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