Good start, but then it gets ruined

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

A young ambitious student wishes to succeed and to make a beautiful marriage... The protagonist knows well that it will be hard but has the reasons for: on the other hand she is smart enough to know that the social background matters a lot - as she said to her friend Clarisse, we cannot have a free mind and a free body everywhere, it is especially the money who allows us to sugar the pill! And there is that she suddenly chooses a poor guy who is a lawyer in real life, somebody who's not a "pitiful" according to herself.The number one's principle of the movie being to demonstrate it then regrettably, its opposite. Because Sabine also makes a mistake, but I would not tell you why or what in order to not spoil nothing of this work, which's absolutely one of more successful of Rohmer, this cult director being capable of the worst like the very best as for some of his movies. On the other hand know firstly that rohmerians often denigrates " the beautiful marriage " and it's natural because this full-length film scratches in the place where you must not. Anti- bourgeois, anti-hipster, this movie is to be seen and mainly for its brunette bold heroine not so pointless who also proves to ourselves that being a provincial or living in a big town; it's anyway the same thing for many of us.The B.O. says moreover dice the beginning by this fast and wriggling electronic track, been born before this illusion of marketing what we name today "french-touch". And if it begins with a light comedy it is to press better on the ridiculous, disgusted of these predicted preset things that we would prefer all to avoid before any of this... especially glaucous physical appearance which seems to be obliged in the love scenes and that this young father with theses swines kids (who phones every time at every hour of day. And every hour of the night too) personalizes it par excellence (as we say in french).So, the whole is almost a masterpiece, in spite of its so long typical conversations of the author. And I know well what I'm talking about - comme on dit en France.

I have seen most of Eric Rohmer's films, but it took me a while to see this elegant movie from 1982, perhaps because it has the critical reputation of being one of his weaker efforts. Sabine (Rohmer regular Beatrice Romand, in a fine performance that makes us empathize with an immature and not very sympathetic character) is a young woman, tired of her relationship with a married man. She breaks up with him and decides it's time to marry. Not to anyone in particular, she just thinks its time to find someone that is good enough and settle with him and marry. In one party, she meets Edmond, a thirty-something lawyer (Andre Dussolier, a character actor from many French movies), a serious and handsome man who is a cousin to her best friend. She approaches him, he is polite to her but seems uninterested in her advances. But she interprets this as him playing hard to get, so in the following days she would step up her advances, to the point where she starts acting in an increasingly erratic manner. Not much more than this happens in the film, until towards the end we learn of the result of her pursuit of Edmond.What some reviewers objected to in this film was that her behavior was unrealistic, but I don't feel that way (I certainly have known women of this type, though of course movies tend to exaggerate behaviors). "No man can resist me", Sabine boasts when Edmond politely rejects her advances. She has the arrogance some beautiful women have when they are young (since beauty fades and tends to do it faster than expected, women like this are in for some reality check when they age).So, summing up, while this might not be among Rohmer's very best, it is certainly well done, and above his average.

I'm a fan of the hushed qualities which are Rohmer's style. I admire the seamless flow between scenes in this film, between Paris, Le mans, the atelier, the train and her mothers house. Noteworthy is the almost complete lack of music as with many of his films, however there is a poignant somewhat outdated 80's electronic tune that runs in the beginning, the credits and at the party.I found myself a little less hooked emotionally with this film then with 'Le Rayon Vert', 'Pauline a la Plage, and 'L'ami de Mon Amie'. When I watched those films I was really pulled at the heart strings by the plight of some of the characters.What was different with this film? Well on the contrary to what others have wrote here I didn't find the leading actress Beatrice Romand to be nearly as compelling as Rohmer's other leads. I think she took the idea of a head strong young woman a little too far, ie; marching around like a bulldog for half the film, seemingly bursting in and out where ever she went. I think she could have played the head-strong role with a bit more subtlety. However at the scene of her party and in one of the final scenes in an office she played the role divinely. Particularly at the party there is a sense of tension which is unexplainable which she radiates.As a big fan of Rohmer and comparing with his other works I give this film a 7. This film for someone who has not experienced a Rohmer film will be like an almigthy gob smack. You will see with the simplest elements and without manipulation he is able to create a sense of compassion for the characters and tension with a slight pacing that resembles real life.

Seems I can't win with Rohmer. Just when I'd concluded he was only good for static, philosophical debate with ciphers in lieu of flash and blood characters he weighs in with this entry which indicates that he HAS been watching to see how the Big Boys do it because this time around he actually takes his camera off the tripod, throws in the odd fluid sequence and even mixes between Master, Long, Mediumn and Close Shots. As if that weren't enough he goes further by using actors that we've actually HEARD of like Andre Dussollier and Arelle Dombasle. On the other hand he's still not paying a great deal of attention to plausibility and allowing coincidence too great a role in the scheme of things. However, on the whole this particular title isn't too hard to take, especially as a freebie with an English newspaper.