L'important c'est d'aimer

The Love in the Gutter

Andrzej Zulawski has never made the so-called “normal films”. The Director has turned an over-the-top family drama into the mix of horror, parable and philoshopic film essay (Possession); stirred an erotic film with europop soundtrack by a loose adaptation of Possessed, political thriller and drama (La femme publique).

Servais Mont, a photographer, is forced to make pornographic photos in order to pay for his father's debts. One day, he sneaks into the shooting of a third-rate erotic film to make a few photos of a third-rate actress Nadine Chevalier. Servais falls in love with Nadine and he borrows $20,000 from gangsters in order to buy Nadine a part in the avant-garde version of “Richard III”.

First of all, Andrzej Zulawski has made film about love, which is sincere and selfless. The love story begins in a disgusting environment – shooting of a second-rate erotic films, animalistic pornographic copulations, dirty rooms. The Director makes a great use of comparison between real and fake love. Every pornographic photoset is lifeless and doesn't have any beauty. On the other hand, every eye contact between Servais and Nadine is full of despair, suffering and love.

Along with Jules et Jim author, Andrzej Zulawski uses the love triangle scheme. Nadine is married to Jacques – an infantile cinefile, who lost all passion for life and incapable of physical love, but he dragged her out of the misery. The side of the triange is Jacques, who tries to win love of Nadine. Nothing lasts forever and one of the sides has to make a painful choice.

Romy Schneider sleeps, eats and breathes Nadine Chevalier. A woman with a cheap prostitute's make-up, who is forced to play in erotic films. She's torn apart between Servais, for whom she is falling in love, and her husband Jacques, to whom she has moral obligations. Jacques Dutronc as inert Jacques, who perfectly understands his position as a clown and who suffers from incapability to give Nadine love and tenderness, Klaus Kinski in a stunning supporting role as half-mad Karl-Heinz.

“L'important c'est d'aimer” is one of the most sincere love stories, The French debut of Andrzej Zulawski doesn't “blow brains out”, as Possession does, but it touches the most hidden parts of your soul.

10/10