Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

One of those few movies which changed my life - well, stayed in my consciousness for a long time. You won't like it if you don't suspend conventional expectations about plot, story, time lines, conclusions etc. as they're irrelevant here. Blier plays with just about everything he can lay his camera on, including the audience (particularly the audience). This movie is like a roller-coaster ride under the influence of a healthy dose of caffeine (at least)...Great little movie about big stuff - expect to be surprised at every tangent and put your cerebrally charged glasses on. Having said that, the 90% degree turns zap along largely without the aid of soulless special effects or computer-generated eye-candy. 8 out of 10 in my view for originality and creative endeavour.

I have, on occasion, praised Blier and probably I will do so again but not, I fear, this time. The box talks a good game throwing the names of Annie Girardot and Jean-Louis Trintignant around cavalierly, the implication clearly being they are featured players whereas in fact they merely provide cameos and arrive far too late to save what is at best an indulgence. True, Depardieu is on hand earlier and he is never bad despite being saddled with inept characterisation/dialogue etc. Charlotte Gainsbourg is never going to register on my personal radar but that's my problem not hers and she is in good company with the likes of Ludo Sagnier and Vanessa Paradis. Essentially what we have here is the sort of images we MIGHT see if we were able to see instead of just listen to a sea shell.

Bernard Blier's movie has many moments or remarkable cinema. Unfortunately, it is too complex to enjoy. The screen writer and the director play with the story line, jump time periods and change characters in a sophisticated manner. You keep on changing your mind about 'what the film is about'. It is never boring, just too complex to follow and really enjoy beyond the expert film making. Some of the great names of the French cinema star in this movie, as well as two of the hot female stars of the newer generation. Worth watching, but not for the commercial cinema fans. 7 out of 10 on my personal scale.

... and you get the film that made me understand what cinema was all about.The simple story of two teenagers meeting at no time. The candid one, Camille, makes the audience, the more experienced one, Joelle, provides the story: in the 80s or 90s, a foolish lover decides to exploit her sickness (AIDS) to contaminate the male population of his provincial town and gain on the visits of his new patients... the clever man is a GP.The story is made even more interesting when it suddenly jumps from one period of the 20th century to the other, France under occupation during the second world war. Whatever the period, the drama is the same.What I liked so much in this film is the way Blier makes the last jump, when the film is no longer about the story but about the crew of the film. It is not only a simple effect, it goes on showing that life is a drama whatever the situation, that even if Joelle is an actress, still she can live the same drama.The other great thing about this film is that you can't help comparing it with Blier's 'Les Valseuses', and read it as the story of friendship and liberty at two different times (70's for les valseuses). This is not just because of the story line, but is present at almost every shots. From the meeting of the two encounters to simple shots on the road, where both walk, one slower than the other, like an unbalanced pair.