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Along Came Love (2023 film)

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Along Came Love
FrenchLe Temps d'aimer
Directed byKatell Quillévéré
Screenplay by
  • Katell Quillévéré
  • Gilles Taurand
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyTom Harari
Edited byJean-Baptiste Morin
Music byAmin Bouhafa
Production
companies
  • Les Films du Bélier
  • Les Films Pelléas
  • Frakas Productions
Distributed by
Release date
  • 20 May 2023 (2023-05-20) (Cannes)
Running time
125 minutes
Countries
  • France
  • Belgium
LanguageFrench

Along Came Love (French: Le Temps d'aimer) is a 2023 Belgian-French drama film directed by Katell Quillévéré.[1] It stars Anaïs Demoustier and Vincent Lacoste.

Plot

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Madeleine, a working-class waitress, and François, a wealthy intellectual, meet in the years immediately following World War II and build a fragile but loving lifetime relationship even though each is carrying personal secrets: Madeleine's young son Daniel was conceived in a casual relationship with a German soldier, which left her branded as a "collabo" and exiled from her home community; while François is bisexual, and was previously in a relationship with a man.[2]

Cast

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  • Anaïs Demoustier as Madeleine Villedieu
  • Vincent Lacoste as François Delambre
  • Morgan Bailey as Jimmy
  • Hélios Karyo as Daniel (aged 5)
  • Josse Capet as Daniel (aged 10)
  • Paul Beaurepaire as Daniel (aged 18)

Production

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The film was partially inspired by Quillévéré's own grandmother, who kept the secret that her oldest child had been conceived in an affair with a German soldier until very late in life.[3] In a pre-premiere interview for the Cannes Film Festival, Quillévéré described the film as an attempt to "intertwine my passion for Maurice Pialat and Douglas Sirk," by making a film whose melodramatic, Sirkian plot was effectively in conflict with a more realistic and Pialat-like aesthetic not in keeping with the stylistic conventions of traditional melodrama.[4]

The film went into production in spring 2022.[5]

Distribution

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The film premiered in the Cannes Premieres program at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival,[6] where it was in contention for the Queer Palm.[7]

Commercial release is currently slated for 29 November 2023.[8]

Reception

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Critical response

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Wendy Ide of Screen Daily wrote that the film is "a solid, watchable drama that, while perhaps lacking some of the directorial flair of Heal the Living, evocatively tallies the costs of living on the wrong side of social and sexual conventions in the 1950s and 60s."[2]

Fabien Lemercier of Cineuropa reviewed the film positively, writing that "Shot with a camera on the shoulder and amidst natural decor, the film takes a highly sensitive, controlled approach to offer up a modernised, nigh-on naturalistic variation on the classic melodramatic films. Paying equal attention to each of her (brilliantly acted) protagonists, Katell Quillévéré crafts a skilful work of a kind we don’t often see, spanning three time periods (preceded by a prologue of archive material and followed by an epilogue in the comforting tradition of the best films of this kind). A tale where happiness walks a tightrope above abysses, driven by a desire like that expressed by Stefan Zweig in Amok: 'It’s only through passion that you’ll get to know the world around you! Because where secrets abound, life begins too.'"[9]

Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter was more mixed, writing that "the film isn’t a total misfire, and it conveys a strong, at times moving message about the sacrifices required in love and marriage, especially during a period as chaotic as the post-war era. But it does so in ways that can feel overcooked and clichéd, relying more on melodramatic tropes than on the subtle drama found in Quillévéré’s previous works."[1]

Awards and nominations

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 26 May 2023 Queer Palm Katell Quillevéré Nominated [10]
Angoulême Francophone Film Festival 27 August 2023 Best Film Won [11]
Best Actor Vincent Lacoste Won
Lumières Award 22 January 2024 Best Actor Nominated [12]

References

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  1. ^ a b Mintzer, Jordan (May 20, 2023). "'Along Came Love' Review: Katell Quillévéré's Ambitious But Uneven French Post-War Melodrama". The Hollywood Reporter.
  2. ^ a b Ide, Wendy (21 May 2023). "'Along Came Love': Cannes Review". Screen Daily.
  3. ^ Elsa Keslassy, "Les Films Pelleas Readies Female-Driven Slate With New Films By Justine Triet, Danielle Arbid, Katell Quillevere". Variety, 10 July 2021.
  4. ^ Benoit Pavan, "Le Temps d’aimer (Along Came Love) by Katell Quillévéré: anatomy of a couple". Cannes Film Festival, 20 May 2023.
  5. ^ Fabien Lemercier, "Katell Quillévéré shoots Along Came Love". Cineuropa, 2 June 2022.
  6. ^ Louis Guichard, "Cannes : dans “Le Temps d’aimer”, Anaïs Demoustier et Vincent Lacoste réinventent le couple". Télérama, 20 May 2023.
  7. ^ Florian Ques (4 May 2023). "Festival de Cannes : voici les films en lice pour la Queer Palm 2023". Têtu (in French). Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Quelles dates de sortie en salle pour les films sélectionnés à Cannes ?". Boxoffice Pro (in French). 9 May 2023.
  9. ^ Fabien Lemercier, "Review: Along Came Love". Cineuropa, 21 May 2023.
  10. ^ Mabilon, Léa (15 May 2023). "Isabel Sandoval, jurée de la Queer Palm 2023 : "Être "queer", selon moi, c'est résister à la conformité"". Madame Figaro (in French). Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  11. ^ Cheze, Thierry (27 August 2023). "Le Temps d'aimer triomphe au festival du film francophone d'Angoulême". Premiere (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  12. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (14 December 2023). "Anatomie d'une chute domine les nominations pour les Lumières". Cineuropa (in French). Retrieved 14 December 2023.
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