Perfect Love (1996)
"Parfait amour!" (original title)

Anatomy of a murder. Christophe has murdered Frédérique, his lover. He's in his 20s, an entrepreneur who likes to pick up chicks with his misogynist friend Philippe; she's in her 30s, a ... See full summary »

Director:

Catherine Breillat

Writer:

Catherine Breillat

Stars:

Isabelle Renauld, Francis Renaud, Laura Saglio

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Isabelle Renauld	...	Frédérique
Francis Renaud	...	Christophe
Laura Saglio	...	Emmanuelle
Alain Soral	...	Philippe
Michèle Rème	...	Christophe's mother
Alice Mitterrand	...	Wanda
Tom Rocheteau	...	Vincent
Delphine De Malherbe	...	Valérie De La Tournelle
Marie Lebée	...	Examining magistrate
Madeleine Top	...	Old lady with cat
Monique Denise	...	Groom's mother
Marc Verrin	...	Groom
Ingrid Martel	...	Bride
Serge Toubiana	...	Louis
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Coralie	...	Bénédicte (as Coralie Gengenbach)

Storyline

Anatomy of a murder. Christophe has murdered Frédérique, his lover. He's in his 20s, an entrepreneur who likes to pick up chicks with his misogynist friend Philippe; she's in her 30s, a doctor twice divorced with two children. After a police reenactment of the crime and an interview with her teen daughter, we go back to the start of their affair and follow it to its conclusion. Frédérique is attracted to Christophe's sweet side; she's emotional about her past and ambivalent about her sexuality. His sexuality later becomes an issue, as does his relationship with Philippe. Are the lovers drowning each other in attraction, expectation, and revulsion? Why does Christophe kill?

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Plot Keywords:

affair | murder | doctor | abortion | male frontal nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

23 October 1996 (France)

Also Known As:

Perfect Love

Filming Locations:

Dunkerque, Nord, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

CB Films, Dacia Films, La Sept Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Frédérique: I like sex, but I hate myself.

User Reviews

Perfect Love ***

Another frank depiction of sexual obsession from Breillat which, despite several instances of full frontal nudity, is not particularly graphic until a short orgy sequence in the film's latter stages. While the film is rather long and talky, it is also surprisingly compelling, aided considerably by its two excellent central performances, particularly Isabelle Renauld's; its semi-documentary/flashback framework, then, leads to a shocking, inevitable finale. Having a relationship with a beautiful, mature woman is every young man's dream and, for a while, Francis Renaud lives it but before long, his unwillingness to let go of his chauvinistic male friends (who are prone to graphically describe their sexual prowess in front of his female companion) and seriously commit to his relationship is too heavy a burden for them both; ironically, it is Renaud's attempt at taking on the role of father-figure (by taking an interest in Renauld's teenage girl) which triggers off the differences between them and which keep escalating as the film goes along. Out of the three films I've watched so far from this interesting and controversial French film-maker, this is certainly the best so far and I'm looking forward to catching more of her work in the future. Luckily, I've managed to convince my pal at the local DVD rental store to add the Criterion DVD edition of Breillat's A' MA SOEUR! (2001) to his already impressive library...