THE STORY – Joan is no longer in love with Victor, but it pains her to feel she is being dishonest with him. Alice, her best friend, reassures her: she herself doesn’t feel passionate about her partner Eric and yet their relationship is smooth sailing. She has no idea he is having an affair with Rebecca, their mutual friend. When Joan finally decides to leave Victor and he disappears, the lives of the three friends and their relationships are turned upside down.
THE CAST – Camille Cottin, Sara Forestier, India Hair, Grégoire Ludig, Damien Bonnard, Vincent Macaigne & Éric Caravaca
THE TEAM – Emmanuel Mouret (Director/Writer) & Carmen Leroi (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 118 Minutes
Sometimes, you meet someone, and sparks fly instantly; sometimes, you fall out of love for no apparent reason; sometimes, you become interested in a forbidden love that can potentially destroy many relationships in your life. Love can take on many forms, some sweet and some messy, and many are displayed in Emmanuel Mouret’s latest romantic dramedy, “Trois Amies,” (or the English translation, “Three Friends”).By examining three female friends’ romances and feelings toward love, Mouret brings to life a highly humorous, entertaining, and sometimes misfortunate ménage-a-many story. Though the film does overstay its welcome toward the end, Mouret’s usual charming style and a whimsical script from him and Carmen Leroi make for an enjoyable watch overall.
Former teacher Victor (Vincent Macaigne) serves as our sometimes narrator for this twisted multi-love story, but he’s not the main character. Instead, we focus on teachers: Joan (India Hair), who was married to Victor before a tragic accident; Alice (Camille Cottin), who is married to Eric (Grégoire Ludig) but isn’t entirely in love with him; and Rebecca (Sara Forestier), who, unbeknownst to her friends, is having an affair with Eric. If that sounds like a lot, trust us when we say this love-pentagon only gets more complicated from this point onward.
Joan is struggling in her marriage because she’s fallen out of love with Victor while he’s still madly in love with her. She knows it’s not fair to him or their young daughter, but there doesn’t seem to be anything she can do to fix her situation. Alice tells her to just pretend, as she’s been doing in her relationship for years, but Joan can only do so much. When tragedy strikes, a devastated Joan can’t seem to allow herself to love or be loved in return.
Compared to the rest of the film, there’s such tenderness that Mouret and Leroi incorporate into Joan’s story. It’s one full of heartbreak, especially seeing the desperate attempts Victor makes to have his wife fall in love with him again (these scenes are also intentionally funny). Once her life changes dramatically, she places so much blame on herself and holds herself back from experiencing love again, even when a new teacher, Thomas (Damien Bonnard), joins the school and lives in the same building as her. There are sparks there, their daughters become fast friends, and we can’t help but root for the two of them, even though Joan continuously stops herself from getting swept up in the romance. It’s an emotional performance from Hair, who puts on a brave, stoic front even though she’s breaking inside. One loving scene with Macaigne is especially guaranteed to bring viewers to tears. A very moving and melodic piano score also amplifies the more touching moments.
In stark contrast, Alice and Rebecca’s love stories are more whimsical and fun – until real life catches up to them. Alice sees some mystery man’s phone number in her dreams, and one day, she decides to call it. As it turns out, a renowned artist (Éric Caravaca) picks up, and sparks fly between them. That’s a good thing for Rebecca, who eagerly wants any time she can get with Eric, but it’s terrible news for him, who thinks only he should be able to have an affair. Full of funny, hypocritical lines from Mouret and Leroi’s script, it’s so entertaining to watch Eric get so jealous and have his mind run a mile a minute when Alice spends a weekend with her newfound admirer. Cottin and Forestier also land their comedic timing throughout the film, but listening to their characters grapple with their affairs is a treat. Struggles with male partners, putting their needs first, and doing what’s best all feel so relatable in this film, and it’s certainly because Leroi knows precisely what it’s like for women to experience all those things.
Though the third act begins to overstay its welcome, there’s enough to like in “Trois Amies” to make this a worthwhile watch. Mouret, who has directed and starred in several rom-coms, continues delivering new and highly entertaining material that leaves fans wanting more and perhaps even thankful that their love stories don’t have as many twists and turns. “Trois Amies” is a funny and heartfelt script that is elevated by strong performances that get viewers swept up in all the messy and touching romances.
