a gay couple upset by the arrival of a woman, filmed by an Ira Sachs reminiscent of Maurice Pialat

After charliewhere Isabelle Huppert excelled, Ira Sachs was silent for four years, until Crossings with Adèle Exarchopoulos which is released on Wednesday June 28. The director approaches for the fourth time the homosexual couple, here in a rivalry with the opposite sex. An intimate story as he likes them, filmed with an observant naturalism reminiscent of Maurice Pialat.

Sentimental portraits

Tomas (Franz Rogowski) lives with Martin (Ben Whishaw) in Paris. When he meets Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) with whom he begins an affair, a couple of three emerges. But Martin’s relationship with the young woman is falling apart, forcing Tomas to make a choice.

With a simple subject – the choice in love – simple answer: observation. If Ira Sachs is filming Crossings from Tomas’ point of view, the gaze remains exterior. He films the sentimental portraits of Tomas and Martin and observes the reactions to the situations they face. Adele stays outside, and wouldn’t she therefore be the ideal observer? This elegant recoil is counterbalanced by a little frontal sex scenes, which are the subject of a warning, it’s fair game.

Paris-New York, New York-Paris

Film of actors staged with style, Crossings recounts the trial of the couple. The Franz Rogowski-Ben Whishaw-Adèle Exarchopoulos trio works in very different roles that cross a nocturnal Paris, punctuated by bars and interiors. The situation and the setting are reminiscent of The Mom and the Whore by Jean Eustache, and the tone to Maurice Pialat, with a beautiful meal scene in homage to Loulou.

The three go through emotional and physical experiences that will transform them, hence the plural of the title, Crossings. First film shot by the American Ira Sachs in France, the latter captures Paris as well as the streets of his Brooklyn Village or the Manhattan of Love is Strange. He creates atmospheres on a subtle script, intended for an elegant staging, because discreet and true. As a fine observer, he captures human feelings beyond particularities, but through them.

The sheet

Gender : Romance
Director: Ira Sachs
Actors: Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, Adele Exarchopoulos
Country : Great Britain / France
Duration : 1h31
Exit : June 28, 2023
Distributer : SBS Distribution