LOVE LETTERS (77′) by Alice Douard – Semaine de la Critique (France)
In Paris this cinema vérité film takes us dispassionately through the life of two women, who have married and decided to bring a child into the world together: “It’s what we’ve fought for” opines her female lawyer advising on the adoption process.
The procedure required for the ‘husband’ to adopt the baby – which will take over a year and require a selection of testimonies from their circle of friends backing up her commitment to the endeavour – is no more onerous than that required by heterosexual adopters in the Uk.
Celine (Ella Rumpf) is a musician with a band and the birth mother is Nadia (Monica Chokri) a dentist who recounts the gruelling details of her day, (descaling the teeth of a patient), when they are in bed later that night. Their committed relationship is naturalistically performed by these two accomplished actors.
A confident and intelligent first full length feature from this French writer director whose 2022 short L’attente won a Cesar awards for another portrayal of lesbian birth parents. @MeredithTaylor
SEMAINE DE LA CRITIQUE | CANNES FILM FESTIVAL