Son of his father, the director Philippe Garrel, and a distinguished actor, Louis Garrel signs his third feature film, “A Faithful Man,” in which he stars alongside his wife, Laetitia Casta, Lily-Rose Depp, and the very promising young Joseph Engel.
A lovely romance involving three, or four if you count the child, which in many ways brings to mind François Truffaut’s Antoine Doinel saga.
In an apartment in the affluent districts of Paris, a couple of lovers, played by Louis Garrel and Laetitia Casta, frolic joyfully. Indulgence on all floors? Quickly, and fortunately, things derail. Marianne (Laetitia) announces to Abel (Louis) that she is pregnant, but the child is not his. Breakup.
Marianne and Abel, a few years later, meet again under unusual circumstances: the funeral of her partner.
Abel decides to win back Marianne. But things have changed: Marianne has a son, Joseph, and his aunt, the young Eve, has grown up. And they have secrets to reveal…
And so begins the true start of “A Faithful Man,” a film that, despite its short duration (1 hour 15 minutes), continually takes strange detours. It keeps us puzzled, something we do not complain about.
And the hero, beset by his ever-raw emotions, is led to question his ex’s deceptions, sometimes seen as a girl martyred by fate, a cunning manipulator, or even a criminal psychopath. Meanwhile, Abel embarks on another bizarre adventure with an equally bizarre young girl: Eve (Lily-Rose Depp), which doesn’t simplify his existence in this world.
There’s no doubt: “A Faithful Man” is indeed a film by Louis Garrel, an actor and filmmaker who seems to take a mischievous pleasure in giving his detractors something to chew on, all while ensuring to surprise.
