‘The (Ex)perience Of Love’: Cannes Review

Dir/scr: Ann Sirot, Raphael Balboni. Belgium, France. 2023. 89mins

Belgian-based directors Ann Sirot and Raphael Balboni take a whimsical approach to relationships with their second feature, which like their first, Madly In Life, concerns a couple’s plans to have a child. When the pair are told the only way they can overcome the mental and physical block to pregnancy is by sleeping with all of their exes, they don’t hesitate before embarking on an odyssey of consensual sex with people from their past. This high concept set-up could prove more of a stumbling block for audiences after the film’s premiere as a special screening in Critics’ Week, while its familiar themes of fidelity and trust might mean it struggles to make its mark beyond French-speaking territories.

There’s little room for the inner life of the characters in between all the dialogue

The back and forths between Remy (Lazare Gousseau) and Sandra (Lucie Debay, who also starred in Madly In Life) – mostly in bed or the bath – are depicted with naturalism, but the consideration of their exes takes place in a sort of symbolic spa-like space. Polaroids of former partners are pinned on a white wall with a flashing light above each, which comes on after the deed is done. This metaphorical zone is mainly played for sight gags; Sandra’s line of lovers takes up a whole wall, while Remy only has three.

Each of them also writes about their attempts at reconnection on the wall beneath the photographs, with Remy’s quickly becoming a tale of unanswered emails and phone calls. Scenes in which the couple have sex with others are also represented playfully, including a deliberately absurd sequence in which Sandra is seen rolling about naked with one of her former loves in a massive inflatable bike innertube. 

Sirot and Balboni seem unwilling to fully commit themselves to the film’s more farcical elements, however, meaning that these never quite gel with more realistic moments. As Sandra’s checklist meets with success, Remy begins to feel left out and, with what amounts to her blessing, starts making new sexual connections that lead to friction between the two. Debay and Gousseau are an amiable pairing, and their dialogue-rich scenes are stopped from feeling static by the use of jump cuts that add an elliptical feel to conversations and help with the pace. They can’t shake off a certain theatricality, however, as Remy and Sandra find themselves in a succession of different but equally talkative pairings – a friend or family member here, a potential lover there.

While the writer/directors alight on some fun ideas – including one of Remy’s exes being a little too close for comfort and a sex party involving animal masks that doesn’t quite go as planned – they don’t dwell for too long before bundling the couple along to the next situation. As a catalogue of characters comes and goes, Florence Janas proves the stand-out amongst the supporting cast. She plays an ex who has reasons for not wanting to get back in touch with Remy, and brings a frisson to her scenes that goes considerably beyond the script. 

While nobody expects too much turbulence from a romantic comedy, there are surprisingly few objections from any of Remy and Sandra’s prospective partners beyond brief misgivings, which means the emotional stakes feel quite low. A flirtation with ideas of what constitutes a ‘normal’ relationship may hold promise but there’s little room for the inner life of the characters in between all the dialogue and a sense that, when push comes to shove, traditional formula always wins out in the end.