Dir: Anna Cazenave Cambet | Cast: Vicky Krieps, Monia Chokir, Antoine Reinhartz | France – 2025 – 132’
Clémence, a lawyer, has left her husband and young son Paul to embrace her sexuality as a dominant lesbian.
Paul wants no further contact and Clémence has not seen him for nine months. She has left the bar and is now writing a book and claiming alimony, her husband has decided to claim full custody of Paul and it emerges from psychiatric reports that he may have been manipulating the boy. Clearly he is the more distressed of the two at the breakdown of the marriage.
Clearly women are more demonised when they leave than men. And this injustice is explored calmly and dispassionately in this tense second feature from the French filmmaker Anna Cazenave Cambet who builds a persuasive case around her premise.
Eventually, after many months, Clémence is allowed to see her son in the presence of two women from social services. She asks if she’s allowed to feed him.
As usual the Law comes across as a restraining factor with its woke attitude. Clémence doesn’t consider herself a mother just a loving person in her child’s life and gradually the strength of Clémence’s conviction and her love for son helps to mitigate circumstances and the two women become more sympathetic. Now in a new relationship, Clémence experiences the stress of her female partner.
Overlong at over two hours Love Me Tender nevertheless makes for sober viewing with a stunning central performance from Vikki Krieps in the leading role. @MeredithTaylor
UN CERTAIN REGARD | CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2025