Cannes 2023: Trendy Romance Reexamined in ‘Easy comme Sylvain’
by Alex Billington
June 2, 2023
A taboo query about fashionable relationships – what’s extra essential: sexual compatibility or mental compatibility? That is the core of this sensible new romantic comedy movie from Quebec titled Easy comme Sylvain (in French) or The Nature of Love (in English). After watching it, I desire the unique French title extra. The direct translation is “Easy as Sylvain“, or “Straightforward as Sylvain“. The man she falls for within the movie is called Sylvain, and it is a story about how he’s each a easy man (translation: not so sensible), and likewise how easy/simple it’s to fall for him and fall for his charms and all of that. The Nature of Love is a little more summary and would not fairly have the sharpness of Easy as Sylvain. Although if you have not seen the movie but, how have you learnt who Sylvain is? However I digress. This intelligent movie hasn’t left my thoughts since watching, one other intriguing Cannes discovery this 12 months that can actually make a mark inside the rom-com subgenre.
Easy comme Sylvain is each written and directed by Quebecois actress and filmmaker Monia Chokri – her third function movie following Babysitter and A Brother’s Love earlier than this. This appear to be a really private movie about Chokri’s personal romantic / sexual experiences, however she opts to have another person star within the lead function as Sophia as an alternative of taking it on herself (she was on the heart of a love triangle in Xavier Dolan’s movie Heartbeats from 2010 as effectively). Magalie Lépine Blondeau stars as Sophia, a younger girl who’s in an uncomfortably comfy relationship with an mental good man named Xavier, as performed by Francis-William Rhéaume. It is apparent she is bored and someday that every one adjustments when she encounters Sylvain, performed by the irresistible Pierre-Yves Cardinal (discuss good casting for this function, oh my). She will’t resist him and earlier than even she is aware of it, she has fallen utterly for this new man, and shortly decides to maneuver on from Xavier. She’ll attempt it out with the easy however horny Syvlain as an alternative. Is it the suitable transfer… or not?
I fairly like what Chokri’s attempting to do balancing the romance debate of clever males vs sexual males and whether or not you possibly can have the most effective of each. Even when she does fall for the “dumb” man on this story, the movie itself continues to be significantly mental. Lots of the conversations all through, even the scenes and setups involving her transition from one man to the subsequent, are confidently sensible and knowledgeable. It is also fairly apparent she has expertise with these two sorts of males, and might simply symbolize them and their methods and the way they speak and the way they’ve intercourse and every thing else. It is a movie that’s meant to discover this query of: are you able to discover a man who is sensible and sexual gratifying?, Nonetheless, it would not give a definitive reply – it is an exploration greater than an experiment. And everybody’s interpretation of her script could also be totally different. The movie additionally loses steam after the halfway level, which is fairly effectively into her new relationship with Sylvain. By this level everyone knows what is going on on and what it is speaking about, then it solely goes a lot additional earlier than wrapping up.
It is a very sexual movie, with fairly a number of passionate scenes that can make anybody really feel sizzling & bothered. However it’s all to show Chokri’s level – good intercourse and intelligence are mutually unique, no? No matter everybody’s opinions, it is an attractive movie reexamining this query via her distinct lens. Which is refreshing to see. I consider the movie’s clever script makes it extra pleasurable to observe than the same old tacky rom-coms being made lately. Together with the casually amusing performances from the 2 leads Magalie Lépine-Blondeau and Pierre-Yves Cardinal. It is from good, and lacks the extra zippy, energetic perspective that many viewers count on from so many Hollywood romances. Nonetheless, it makes up for that with these steamy intercourse scenes. There’s not even that a lot nudity, it is the wildness of two individuals who simply wish to fuck letting themselves go – on digicam. It is a poignant reminder that, sure, intercourse is essential to women and men and all relationships, and should not be brushed apart – no matter which facet of the movie’s debate you find yourself on.
Alex’s Cannes 2023 Ranking: 7.5 out of 10
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