When I say that this movie is depressing, this does not mean that I disliked it or think you should avoid it. However, if you are a person that hates depressing movies and want a happy ending, this film is not for you. The story involves a love affair between a young actor and Clara. All is going magnificently until she discovers she has HIV and he cannot cope with this and leaves. While as you can see this would not make for a "feel good" movie, it certainly deserves kudos for originality and for taking on a tough topic. The acting is fine as is the writing in general but I had two problems with the film: first, the couple went from total strangers to sexual involvement with each other almost instantly. This isn't realistic and seems glamorized. This sort of behavior actually might have been the reason Clara contracted HIV, but this message is certainly not evident from the script. Come on, writers, it IS possible to talk about HIV AND promote responsible sexual behavior. Secondly, although this might be a GREAT film for teens due to its theme, the nudity, though sparse, is enough to prevent many teens from seeing it and learning about HIV. So, I liked the movie but wish they had somehow discussed how irresponsible sexual behavior CAN lead to HIV AND cut out a few nude bits here and there so younger kids can see it.
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planktonrules4 November 2005
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It could have been the umpteenth boring French film about a couple in the thirty-something crisis. And it may be just that if you only care for guns and gooey monsters. But for viewers with a heart, "Clara and I" strikes a rare string.
The action is indeed minimal : they fall in love, and out of love. But it's been a while since a loving couple was such a perfect match, an obvious pair radiating charm and the magic of being in love. Throughout the film, the same elegance pervades : no painful explanations, no literary despairs, no hysterics. Life as pure as if it had been distilled.
Julien Boissellier, the main actor, doesn't look like much but he just might be the next big thing in French movies, with the discreet intensity of a Trintignant. Canadian viewers will remember Julie Gayet from "Chaos and Desire". The lightning and the camera work are superbly intelligent. The score features the new French scene with songs by Biolay and Katherine.
Go see this movie for the first half, which will make you want to fall in love. Go see this movie if you like Sautet and Truffaut and Ozu. Go see this movie because it was shot on digital and yet it's warm and sensitive. Go see this movie, if you have a heart. -
Arnaud Viard has written and directed a quintessentially French love story that simply has everything going for it. The dialogue is richly imbued with both light hearted comedic elements as well as radiant moments of verismo that make this little story one that, once seen, will be indelible in the memory of the viewer. This is a love story awash with all of the nuances of contemporary life in Paris - and in the entire world.
Antoine (Julien Boisselier) is a thirty-three year old actor, having given up his business career to pursue his dream, yet a young man without a partner. Serendipity strikes on the Metro as Antoine sees a shy woman his age Clara (Julie Gayet) and from the silence surrounding their exchanged looks it is obvious something will happen. Antoine demurely writes a note on his pad and without speaking shows it to Clara. Clara responds with a written message, and the game ends with Clara giving Antoine her telephone number! At a surprise birthday party that evening Antoine, though happy with his close friends' display of love for him, thinks only of the beautiful Clara and that he calls her. They begin a sweet and musical romance, literally singing and dancing along the Seine: they fall in love. Feeling commitment coming, the two decide to be tested for HIV (contemporary sanity is still part of the picture) and Clara discovers she is HIV positive. Antoine cannot deal with this fact and decides they cannot go on. A trip home for Antoine gives him the input from his surgeon father (Michel Aumont) and this meaningful communication between father and son reinforces the fact that despite all circumstances, he truly and deeply loves Clara. He returns to Paris to ask Clara's forgiveness, to reconcile - but life is as it is and the film's ending will touch the hearts of even the coldest of viewers.
This is an honest recounting of the magic of being in love and living in the world in which we find ourselves. The supporting cast is outstanding with every minor role played with honesty and simplicity. But it is the sheer magic on the parts of the leads that makes this film miraculous. Julie Gayet is not only incredibly beautiful, she is also am extraordinary actress, taking us with her through every subtle change in her journey. And the same can be said for Julien Boisselier - handsome in the French manner, with a face so plastic that every particle of emotion he tries so desperately to conceal is given to us, intensifying his performance and making us feel his joys and his wounds.
Arnaud Viard is a chemist with words and with silences, a conjuror who knows just how much to say and ask of his actors to give us a film that is perfect in every detail. The magnificent music score is by Benjamin Biolay with assistance from Bertrand Burgalat and Franz Schubert ('Fantasia for piano four hands'). Highly Recommended. Grady Harp -
oso_travis1 October 2004Clara et moi. Directed by Arnaud Viad. ***1/2
Probably, one of the best romantic films in the past ten years.
There are a few bunch of films that still can surprise you. Films made with a very small budget, no FX, and no twists or violence on them. Films without any sex on them but that can be very erotic and intense. "Clara et moi" is one of those films. I'm so grateful I've found it.
Praise should go to Viad, who wrote a delightful screenplay: it is so tender, yet it never gets corny; it is powerful, yet it does not sound overworked. Viad's fine direction, along with the gorgeous Digital Video photography (I'm not kidding, the film looks GREAT) are proof that you can have emotional depth and formal beauty on contemporary cinema. Viad's realistic approach knocks you out, because the feelings and emotions portrayed in the film become so truthful and intense.
Praise should go to the sensational leading couple. Julien and Julie are in their very fine shape. Wow! It is one of the finest chemistry and attraction that has been ever brought to the screen. J.Lo and Ben should learn something from them! I hope they (Julien and Julie, of course) get some nods at the Cesars, next year.
Don't miss it! You will deeply regret if you do so.
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jotix10017 July 2006Antoine, a struggling actor, meets a lovely young woman in the metro. Claire, who sits across from Antoine, can't help but looking at him, as he also steals away glances at her. When he starts writing her a note in what seems to be a script, she writes him back. After they write one another for a few minutes, arriving at her stop, she asks him is he can't talk and gives him her phone number.
After Antoine manages to get a hold of himself, he calls Claire and they agree to meet. They both like one another; the chemistry appears to be perfect between them. Antoine and Claire begin a relationship in which everything seems to be perfect, until we watch them awaiting their turn in a clinic where both have gone for a check-up. We realize there's something wrong and naturally, we think it's Antoine the one with the problem. Nothing prepares when Claire declares she is HIV+ Things begin to unravel as Claire and Antoine's relationship begins to suffer because what she perceives as his attitude toward her. When Claire decides to leave Antoine, he is not ready to accept the fact. Even though he has come around to support her, she can't accept it.
Antoine, who has been distant from his father, comes home for a visit in which the older man confesses how wrong he had been in opposing his decision to become an actor. Antoine, who has not seen Claire, goes to see her as she is celebrating her birthday, but it's too late for the lovers. The last scene shows Antoine's face framed by a window looking at the lovely Claire at her party with her guests.
Director Arnaud Viard, an actor himself, has accomplished the impossible: a serious film about an important theme that doesn't preach, or throw in our faces heavy messages. His take on the relationship is the right one. Who knows makes two people fall in love? Or better yet, what triggers them to break what appears to be a solid commitment between these two people love that love one another passionately? Of course, the HIV virus is at center stage getting between Antoine and Claire in ways they never thought possible.
The only surprise in the film is the way Claire contracts the virus, which she could also have transmitted to Antoine. By casting the two attractive leads that personify cleanliness and purity, Mr. Viard throws us a curve ball out of nowhere, suggesting perhaps there is no perfect love relationships.
The best thing in the film are the two leads. Julien Boisselier is immensely likable. He is handsome, has a great screen presence and plays well together with the exquisite Julie Gayet, who we have admired in other movies. Ms. Gayet, in turn, has a luminosity and clarity, as her character's namesake. She is an adorable young actress who doesn't make a false movement in her portrayal of Claire. The wonderful Michel Aumont, seen as Antoine's father, makes a great impression and contributes to the success of the film.
Arnaud Viard, who also wrote and produced this amazing film, tells his story in 81 minutes, something that other creators would spend more time without the same amazing results. One can only salute Mr. Viard and hope for more great films from him. -
writers_reign27 October 2004I'm more than happy to agree with and endorse the only two comments that have so far been posted for this deceptive soufflé laced with shrapnel. This is the third film this year in which I've seen Julien Boisselier but the other two (Je m'en sen pas belle - I Don't Feel Pretty, and 'Tout Le Plaisir est pour moi - The Pleasure's All Mine) are unlikely to be shown outside France and he's clearly a more than competent light comedian cum romantic leading man. The chemistry between him and Julie Gayet has to be seen to be believed, Viard often shoots them in close up just looking at each other and it's impossible not to believe they aren't really in love. For his first movie Arnaud Viard has chosen a tried and true subject, Romance for young adults that in the wrong hands could go terribly wrong resulting in embarrassment all round but he brings it off superbly taking it into the class of one of those movies you wish would never end plus, to his great credit, he has avoided the happy ending and in so doing reminded us of what bittersweet really means. 9/10
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rudymovie6 December 2006Enough has been said on the usual topics, above. (Acting, script, filming, dialogs). I could repeat, but basta!! Instead, let me add another perspective. Which is not often dwelt on here in these IMDb columns, as probably most of the users are " young". This is the view of the " aging film lover" (me). "Clara et Moi" is the unique film, in its kind, by which I mean, a love story on a couple of , say, around 25-30, that not only gave me tears in my eye, but also made me long returning to the age when it was still possible to meet a person and fall in love with her (him) , in a way suitable with that age. Being well over 50, this is virtually impossible, if it were only for all you have experienced already. This gives credit to the incredible " chemistry" between the 2 actors. In its emotional impact on me I compare this one to Lost In TRanslation (Coppola, with Bill and Scarlett) . LIT showed me the potential of bridging the age gap between understanding people. Clara et Moi makes one regret not being young anymore...enough said !! See another action flick !!
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WilliamCKH21 November 2007It's wonderful when you see a love story on screen that hits the right notes. Julie Gayet and Julien Boisselier are very believable as a modern couple going through the ups and downs of a relationship... until something fundamental arises to test the very foundations of their love.. The director, Arnaud Viard shows the relationship's progression, from their very first meeting on the metro, to their first date, first fight, so forth, The film's dialogue, in its simplicity, while possessing a great originality, speaks honestly about how men and women communicate in the modern world....and there are many light-hearted scenes where they dance and burst into song which are very charmingly done.
But the film takes a serious tone midway through and the couple is forced into a major decision. I think the surprise of this serious issue is a major plot point in the film and won't ruin it for anyone (although previous comments have already addressed this). Viard surprises you with this plot point. You don't expect it and it drives the movie forward.
Overall, the film very well integrates this fairy tale notion many have of finding a perfect mate, to marry and start a family,..etc... with the problems and dilemmas of modern life, and I think the film very realistically portrays a couple awakening to the true idea of what it is meant to love someone. As love stories go, I can't think of many offhand that can do that. -
The film was beautifully shot and captures modern Paris--the interiors, the slang language, the fashions and even the social style. And while the couple are coasting along their touching love story, the actors capture the tempo and unspoken rituals fitting of lovers. Yet the sickness seems abrupt to me; it felt as though the film was taking a turn towards melodrama--that said, the ensuing story is depressing for what it leaves out--in spite of the protagonist's claim to being in love, he seems paralyzed to act. And the film doesn't include Julie's reaction to his negligence. AIDS is a relatively new event to hit Paris among straight couples--and the film seems to be vacillating between being a love story that has class and social limits (one infers that Clara comes from a different background) and a sensitive look at how hetero couples in Paris are dealing with STDs.
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imdb-1387121 July 2006Beautiful story, touching characters, great newcomer actors and above all...
...I have never seen any movie with a more organic scenario. All dialogs, behaviors, reactions, personal incoherences, etc just sound perfectly real-life-like.
I would recommend it to any screen writing student as the sort of excellence to target.
The story is not amazing but thanks to all this, you are totally into the movie and escape the potential "cheesiness" of the topic.
Sublime