L'Amour flou (2018)
Directed by Romane Bohringer, Philippe Rebbot

Film Review

It is a situation that is all too familiar.  A couple have been together for some years, have started a family, but then decide that they no longer love each other.  The conventional way out is for the partners to separate, but inevitably this will result in arguments over who gets custody of the children and how much time the individual parents can spend with their offspring.  In their own lives, Romane Bohringer and Philippe Rebbot have come up with an alternative which allows the partners to part without breaking up the family unit.  In L'Amour flou, their debut feature as directors, these two talented actors recount their own personal experiences and show how an almost pain-free separation can be achieved.

Far from being the shallow vanity project that you might expect, L'Amour flou proves to be a totally engaging little film that addresses one of the abiding concerns of our time with compassion and intelligence.  Bohringer is no stranger to French film enthusiasts - her delightful persona and skill as a performer have been put to good use by many fine auteur filmmakers, from Cyril Collard (Les Nuits fauves) to Bertrand Bonello (Quelque chose d'organique).  Rebbot is not so well known but his film appearances are almost as numerous, from Vincent Mariette's Tristesse Club (2014) to Edouard Deluc's Gauguin (2017).  The warm reaction of the critics to the ex-couple's autobiographical film might lead us to think that their first directorial collaboration may not be their last. It's worth mentioning that the film was nominated for a César in 2019 in the Best First Film category and received the Prix du public at the Festival du Film francophone d'Angoulême.

L'Amour flou is the sunny counterpart to Christian Vincent's grimly realistic La Séparation (1994).  In contrast to the gruelling torment experienced by the separating protagonists (Daniel Auteuil and Isabelle Huppert) in Vincent's earlier film, Philippe Rebbot and Romane Bohringer appear to make ending a long-standing love affair the easiest thing in the world.  Of course we feel a sense of sadness when they come to realise that their love has died, but there's also a feeling of joy that both are beginning a new chapter in their lives, whilst continuing to harbour a deep fondness and respect for the other.  Whilst there are some moments of melancholic reflection, the tone of the film is for the most part upbeat - unceasingly tender, dripping with honeyed charm and occasionally irresistibly hilarious. 

With the directors roping in their immediate family and friends to play themselves in the film, L'Amour flou has an intimacy that matches its authenticity.  At no time does it try to punch above its weight or con us into believing that living in adjacent flats is a solution that will work for every separating couple.  Rather it is a gentle feel-good offering that humbly ventures a proposal that is at least worth considering - for the good of the children.  It also reminds us, with great delicacy, what a complex and unpredictable thing love really is, not a static phenomenon but something that is bound to change as we do.  What remains when passion has burned itself out is not a sad pile of cold embers but a pearl of perhaps even greater value.

Film Synopsis

The actors Philippe Rebbot and Romane Bohringer first met in 2004.  They fell in love, lived together in perfect harmony for ten years, and had two adorable children - Rose and Raoul.  By 2014 it was apparent to them both that their love affair, so intense whilst it lasted, was finally over.  They still had deep feelings for each other but they were no longer in love.  Neither of them could bear the prospect of becoming separated from their children so they arrived at a solution to a problem that faces many parents in their position today.  Rather than separate completely, they would live apart in two adjoining apartments, each with its own entrance but connected by their children's bedroom.  Relieved of the anxiety that a painful separation might have caused, Philippe and Romane were now free to continue their lives with a clear conscience and a lighter heart...