First let me state one thing categorically; Eric Rohmer is for me the greatest of all French film directors. I say this with reservations. Let me get them out of the way. Not once does he give us one example of same sex lovers; either male or female. This despite the obvious fact that he must have worked with some homosexual or bisexual actors. Quite simply he blanked out a significant aspect of love. To my knowledge no book on or about his work has questioned this. His whole work explores in so many permutations love and yet he ignored an essential part of loving and sexuality. Conservative reserve ? Lack of interest ? A question of religious beliefs ? My other reservation is that his ' costume ' dramas are not in the same league as his three major series: 'Six Moral Tales ', ' Comedies and Proverbs ' and ' Tales of the Four Seasons '. The films in these series are almost flawless, and certainly no other film director I can think of has created such a wonderful, mysterious set of films. ' L'amour, l'apres-midi ' has to be seen again and again for the questions it poses around fidelity to a person one has chosen for life. It is not a comfortable film, and Zouzou who plays Chloe should have worked with him in other films. She gives one of the best performances in all of his work. She has the spark of greatness in her that compares well with Isabelle Huppert, even down to the voice. Another slight gripe is did Rohmer actually see her potential for so many of his other roles ? I will give no spoilers and only say that a superficial interpretation of the scenario of this complex film is ridiculous. All is not what it seems. What does it REALLY say about love ? A major question to be asked by every viewer. But what is unquestionable is that it is a masterpiece.
Review of Love in the Afternoon
