The French came up with the handy phrase “l’amour fou” to describe mad love, that exaggerated form of passion that has fueled so many French movies, from the threesome in “Jules and Jim” to the pixillated heroine of “Amelie.”
Taking this to a new level is “Love Me If You Dare,” a Gallic hit that premiered in the Seattle International Film Festival and opens now for a regular run. This isn’t just mad love, this is downright kooky.
The tale begins in childhood, with two schoolmates, Julien and Sophie. They possess a little too much imagination.
Each time they exchange a brightly colored candy tin, a dare is made. The recipient of the tin must carry out the dare – whether it’s causing a scandal in the classroom or wrecking the cake at a wedding.
Their parents soon realize these kids must be separated. But even as they grow into adulthood, Julien and Sophie (now played by Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard) keep exchanging the candy tin.
In fact, they put the game ahead of any serious personal goals. Sophie wears her underwear outside her clothes for an important college oral exam, and Julien misses his finals – all because they had to take a dare.
The fun couple actually separate for a long period, as they pursue some semblance of normality. Years pass. But the candy tin eventually rolls into view, and cannot be denied.
You either go with the premise, or not. I would have been more willing to go with it if I liked the actors more. But Canet (from “The Beach”) and Cotillard (who made her Hollywood debut in “Big Fish”) failed to charm me. The two child actors who play their roles in the first third of the film, Thibault Verhaege and Josephine Lebas-Jolly, are more engaging.
Director Yann Samuell is all over the place with the film’s style, deliberately so. Every now and then there’s an explosion into fantasy land, such as the childhood Garden of Eden where Julien and Sophie make their paradise.
It all leads to some shocking moments in the last act, and an ending that is either completely cracked or poetically apt. Any “l’amour fou” story should be willing to go all the way, and “Love Me If You Dare” certainly does that. Whether fans of French films will want to take the ride is another question.
“Love Me If You Dare” HH
Crazy: A pact formed in childhood between a boy and girl, to respond to any dare, grows into a crazy obsession in adulthood. This film conforms to the passionate formula of movies about mad love, but it lacks in charm. (In French, with English subtitles.)
Rated: R rating is for nudity, subject matter.
Now showing: Uptown, Seattle
“Love Me If You Dare” HH
Crazy: A pact formed in childhood between a boy and girl, to respond to any dare, grows into a crazy obsession in adulthood. This film conforms to the passionate formula of movies about mad love, but it lacks in charm. (In French, with English subtitles.)
Rated: R rating is for nudity, subject matter.
Now showing: Uptown
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
