The events of May ’68 and their disappointing aftermath
have always been at the heart of Philippe Garrel’s work. Regular
Lovers is Garrel’s achingly beautiful memorial to the moment itself,
and to the poignant confusion felt by French youth who tried to keep the spirit
of revolt alive as they grappled with adulthood. A young poet (played beautifully
by the director’s son Louis) witnesses the conflagration during a night
on the barricades, then experiences the euphoria of love and communal freedom,
followed by the inevitable moment when reality comes to collect its due. Garrel
has fashioned an intimate poetic epic, which harks back to the silent films of
Louis Feuillade and the poetry of Baudelaire and Gérard de Nerval in its
austere yet romantic vision of Paris by night and by day. 175 min. France,
2005.
* Director expected to attend.
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