L'ami de mon amie (Boyfriends and Girlfriends)

The final instalment of Comédies et proverbes is a subtle comedy about love, chance and self-deception. The introverted Blanche (Emmanuelle Chaulet) befriends the spontaneous Léa and becomes entangled in a subtle love quadrangle with Alexandre and Fabien. As is often the case with Rohmer, the tension lies not in the plot, but in the dialogue, glances and subtle shifts in the relationships between the young lovers. Particularly striking is the role played by Cergy-Pontoise, the modernist and somewhat sterile satellite town whose clean postmodern architecture contrasts with the characters’ emotional uncertainty and the vagaries of the heart. Once again, Rohmer allows emotion and logic to clash cheerfully and weaves setting and psychology into a refined whole. Colour, composition and natural performances lend this seemingly simple film a great visual elegance. Thus, the director concludes his second cycle with one of his most harmonious and refreshing films.