CRITICISM / FILM OPINION – Vincent Macaigne and Sandrine Kiberlain brilliantly carry Emmanuel Mouret’s “Chronicle of a passing affair”, his new romantic comedy about the ephemeral love of two lovers.
Emmanuel Mouret and romantic relationships
Emmanuel Mouret has never ceased to dazzle in the genre of vaudeville. A genre he always brings a breath of fresh air by well-crafted dialogues and situations bordering on burlesque that never fall into the ridiculous. At Mouret, the characters love each other, whether they are already in a relationship or not, for a moment or longer, and expresses or provokes desire through words. Characters always charming although imperfect, to which one can easily cling.
While his previous film, The things we say, the things we do (2020), featured a string of protagonists, in his new work Chronicle of a temporary liaison, the filmmaker is enough for two (or almost). The film opens with Simon (Vincent Macaigne) and Charlotte (Sandrine Kiberlain) in a bar reminiscing about their previous encounter. No need to hide his feelings, things are said with honesty and naturalness with Emmanuel Mouret. Simon, clumsy and embarrassed, then keeps repeating that he is married and has children. Charlotte does not complain about it since they like each other and they both know that their temporary affair is about to begin. Maybe a little too fast for Simon, but whatever.
As they stroll through this busy bar (grabbing a drink, moving to the counter, then to another corner), the filmmaker’s camera follows them delicately without ever cutting. Chronicle of a temporary liaison is then constructed in this way. With a slightly distant camera to observe in a succession of long sequences the evolution of this link.
A funny but fleeting romance
We have often mentioned Woody Allen to describe the cinema of Emmanuel Mouret. There is this, and more particularlyAnnie Hall (1977) in this case. As well as a touch of Truffaut (the Antoine Doinel saga). With Chronicle of a temporary liaison, the filmmaker wonders again and again about love. But a love which, under cover of freedom, cannot be lived fully. Simon and Charlotte often see each other in secret because of Simon’s fear of being discovered by his wife. Charlotte, she will not show herself never jealous or enviousgood too pragmatic for that. And don’t talk to her about passion, she hates it and is glad it’s not the subject with Simon.
It is therefore because they do not follow the habits and customs that they imagine themselves to be free. Yet, in spite of their happiness in intimacytheir ability to indulge in bed, in a hotel or at Charlotte’s, we feel that something fragile is portrayed by Emmanuel Mouret. Rear the general humor of the film, helped once again by the dialogues so brilliantly imagined by the author and just as well played by Vincent Macaigne and Sandrine Kiberlain, we know deep down (by the title) that all this is only temporary. And a missed opportunity looms.
Already The things we say, the things we do gave off more melancholy than usual for Mouret. Chronicle of a temporary affair perhaps takes longer to reach this feeling. But the result is the same. After a final scene where Vincent Macaigne is suddenly overwhelming, whether or not we approve of his character’s attitude (selfish, it must be admitted), we come out of the film like Simon. With a smile that barely hides a certain sadness to stop there.
Chronicle of a temporary liaison by Emmanuel Mouret, in cinemas on September 14, 2022. The film was presented during the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
