La Répétition (2001)
Directed by Catherine Corsini

Film Review

Catherine Corsini's morose portrayal of an impossible yet ineluctable romance has echoes of François Truffaut's later films, particularly La Femme d'à côté.  Corsini's darkest and most introspective film to date (and a noticeable improvement on her previous offerings Poker (1988) and La Nouvelle Ève (1999)), La Répétition offers an uncompromising - almost clinical - examination of an intense lesbian relationship involving two characters for whom life, it would appear, is nothing less than an abstract piece of theatre.

Whilst the film shows increasing maturity in Corsini's direction (assisted by Agnès Godard's excellent cinematography), it is not an easy film to watch.  Despite respectable performances from the two lead actresses, it is difficult to find their on-screen relationship credible, and the fact that neither character is particularly sympathetic doesn't help.  Films set in the milieu of the acting profession generally have an irksome self-indulgent, navel-contemplating feel to them and La Répétition, regrettably, appears to fit that pattern.  It is curious that the character type which most actors fail to portray convincingly or sympathetically on screen is another actor, and this is perhaps the main reason why this film fails to satisfy.

Emmanuelle Béart and Pascale Bussières are both hugely talented actresses and whilst their performances are of a high calibre they both struggle to engage our sympathies. The fault lies mainly in the script, which fails to develop their two characters sufficiently for them to be entirely convincing. Béart would be somewhat better served as a lesbian lover by Virginie Despentes' similarly themed Bye Bye Blondie (2012). Over the next few years, Catherine Corsini's writing and direction would both show a significant improvement in quality, so that her next film portrayal of a lesbian love affair - La Belle saison (2015) - is far more convincingly and delicately dealt with.

Film Synopsis

In adolescence, Nathalie and Louise's childhood friendship turns to passionate love, but when Louise sees her lesbian lover flirting with men she puts an abrupt end to the relationship.  Ten years later, the two women meet up by chance - Louise has abandoned her drama studies to pursue a career in dentistry whilst Nathalie is becoming a successful stage actress.   Although Louise is married and Nathalie is romantically attached to her director, the two women soon rekindle their former love - with dramatic consequences…