I started Dites-Lui Que Je L'Aime under the impression that it was a movie about one obsession, but it’s actually about two: David’s for Lise, and Juliette’s for David. Yes, because Juliette’s attraction for David is almost as irrational and insistent as his for Lise, only less violent, and normally that would be quite interesting (a stalker with a stalker, kind of), yet unfortunately only one of them is properly developed. I get why David is as crazy as he is for Lise, the reasons for his actions are clear, even though they are insane; but Juliette endures the most absurd things on David’s hands and not a second of the movie is spared to explore why is that. Something in her past made her believe this is normal? What made Juliette become so fixated on David, who never demonstrated the slightest interest in her? We just don’t know. Also I feel something is missing about Lise’s character: I understand why she doesn’t want to be with David now (again, he is insane and keeps doing crazy things), but at some point she did have a relationship with him, and through the first letter we learn his feelings were reciprocated. What changed? Why did they fall apart? Why couldn’t she wait two years for him to return from (presumedly) the army? She didn’t seem to love her husband, and quickly moved on to another relationship after his death. For a psychological thriller, this one had less psychological exploration than I hoped for. I recently read a novel called Fosca, by Igino Ugo Tarchetti, that deals with the theme of obsession in a masterful way: you get to learn why each character acts the way they do, even when their actions are questionable, because you are able to see the world through their eyes. It set my expectations way too high, I guess. But hey, all the actors were great, there were some good moments, I really liked the last scene, and I always have a soft spot for little weird French movies. So overall it was worth the watch.

I started Dites-Lui Que Je L'Aime under the impression that it was a movie about one obsession, but it’s actually about two: David’s for Lise, and Juliette’s for David. Yes, because Juliette’s attraction for David is almost as irrational and insistent as his for Lise, only less violent, and normally that would be quite interesting (a stalker with a stalker, kind of), yet unfortunately only one of them is properly developed. I get why David is as crazy as he is for Lise, the reasons for his actions are clear, even though they are insane; but Juliette endures the most absurd things on David’s hands and not a second of the movie is spared to explore why is that. Something in her past made her believe this is normal? What made Juliette become so fixated on David, who never demonstrated the slightest interest in her? We just don’t know. Also I feel something is missing about Lise’s character: I understand why she doesn’t want to be with David now (again, he is insane and keeps doing crazy things), but at some point she did have a relationship with him, and through the first letter we learn his feelings were reciprocated. What changed? Why did they fall apart? Why couldn’t she wait two years for him to return from (presumedly) the army? She didn’t seem to love her husband, and quickly moved on to another relationship after his death. For a psychological thriller, this one had less psychological exploration than I hoped for. I recently read a novel called Fosca, by Igino Ugo Tarchetti, that deals with the theme of obsession in a masterful way: you get to learn why each character acts the way they do, even when their actions are questionable, because you are able to see the world through their eyes. It set my expectations way too high, I guess. But hey, all the actors were great, there were some good moments, I really liked the last scene, and I always have a soft spot for little weird French movies. So overall it was worth the watch.