Mes petites amoureuses (My Little Loves)

PostED ON OCTOBER 17 2022

Mes petites amoureuses, 1988

A very young man on a bench is a theme that runs through Jean Eustache's film, ‘Mes petites amoureuses (My Little Loves)’, the second restoration after the success of ‘The Mother and the Whore’. Directed in 1974, the work is as graceful as a medieval painting, featuring divine gestures, cruel expressions, feelings of danger and dreams of fulfilment, all without dissonance. Daniel, the lead character of this chronicle, moves through the world, from rural France to the mid-sized cities of the South, with the same unchanging rhythm of observation. No longer quite a child, yet not fully an adult, he puts a distance between himself and others, first to listen to them, at other times to act.

Eustache thus creates a French face and an era, composed of clear perceptions between pragmatism and universality. The eternal promise of the first kiss, perhaps possible with girls or young women, coexists with tangible male thoughts about money, repairing a motorbike in a white shirt, or marriage. Not far away, the group of seasoned adults reflects an unspoken fatalism. And then the cinema, adventure films and the legendary love story Pandora, punctuate life. ‘Mes petites amoureuses (My Little Loves)’, gradually becomes a remarkable work. Eustache creates a life, that of young Daniel, and thanks to a voice-over, he shares the latter’s inner thoughts with the audience alone, thoughts that radiate throughout the film.

Virginie Apiou

Séances :
Mes petites amoureuses (My Little Loves) by Jean Eustache (Mes petites amoureuses, 1974, 2h03, VFSTA)
Comoedia Mon. 17 6:30pm | Villa Lumière Fri. 21 6:45pm