The Lover

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The Lover ★★ L'Amant 1992 (R)

Portrays the sexual awakening of a French teenager and her older Chinese lover in Indochina in 1929. The characters, who remain nameless, meet on a ferry where the man is smitten by the girl's beauty. Detached, determined, and unromantic (the opposite of her indolent lover), she allows herself to be seduced for the experience, and money, he offers. The film is equally detached, including the beautifully photographed but uninvolving sex scenes. Moreau narrates as an adult looking back on her life. March's debut; filmed on location in Vietnam. Based on the semiautobiographical novel by Marguerite Duras who reputiated director Annuad's film when it was released in France. Also available in an unrated, letterbox version at 115 minutes. 103m/C VHS, DVD . FR Jane March, Tony Leung KaFai, Frederique Meininger, Arnaud Giovanietti, Melvil Poupaud, Lisa Faulkner, Xiem Mang; D: Jean-Jacques Annaud; W: Gerard Brach, Jean-Jacques Annaud; C: Robert Fraisse; M: Gabriel Yared; Nar: Jeanne Moreau. Cesar ‘93: Score.

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