Load of rubbish!!

Absolutely Fantastic

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Jean-Baptiste Emmerich, "a minor master of the mid-twentieth century," seems confident that his friends and admirers won't mind an overnight trip to Limoges—site of Europe's largest cemetery, we're told—to see him get a proper sendoff. Director Chéreau and screenwriter Danièle Thompson seem to feel that the inconvenience of a fidgety camera, murky lighting and an often baffling screenplay, especially in the opening scenes, won't detract from the pleasures of this excursion. Thompson doesn't believe in expository dialogue, so the only backstory we get is a brief recorded interview with the deceased and a few scraps of gossip exchanged by the travelers ("she raped him once in a hotel in Madrid in 1952"). Many of the characters, as noted, are brusque and unpleasant; two of them are strung-out junkies. This film reminded me of an Iris Murdoch novel, where I'd have to reread the first 30 pages once I'd gotten straight who all these people were. Having said all that, the second time through (this isn't one for the "I want the last two hours of my life back!" crowd), I found the storyline fascinating. And luckily there's some relief in the second half of the film, when Trintignant turns up as the deceased's twin brother, a kindly old gentleman who bonds with two of his more intriguing visitors—a manga-obsessed little girl and a striking pre-op tranny played by Vincent Perez. I wasn't too taken with the brittle gay couple who are (more or less) the principal characters, but all in all I'd recommend this film to anyone who's enjoyed serious French ensemble dramas like "Summer Hours" and "Va Savoir." Great pop-music soundtrack, from the Doors to Jeff Buckley to some kind of Andalusian marching band.

I thought this movie was great. Yes it is quite different from Queen Margot, but it certainly has its own merits. Music is used beautifully in the film to underscore a character's emotional state. The rather morbid subject of the film is handled with great sensitivity. This movie is a rather intense experience and as far as the emotional continuity of the film's characters goes it is a bit messy. A common experience, I find at least, when watching French "art" films. Perhaps a mere cultural difference. I would certainly recommend the film, and doesn't that Pascal Greggory look just like Bruce Willis? The movie is beautifully shot as well, Patrice is the man.

The film was very disappointing. The story of a mediocre painter, his family and friends seemed to be very promising at the beginning, but neither the actors nor the plot itself absorbed me. No emotions, no interesting characters, no good music. Don't waste your time!

A movie that was badly promoted and that confirms, however, the recovery of French cinema. The characters in Ceux qui m'aiment... could be any of us, the plot is as real as our daily train rides. The best of us and the worst of us exposed in a particular situation. Love, hate, anger, our darkest side. A knowledge of French is, unluckily, indispensable to enjoy this movie, the power of certain dialogues cannot be translated. And yet, this movie will disrupt your quiet life for a few weeks, its power remains in its realism. A funeral, a bunch of family and friends and a great cast. Don't miss it.P.S. The music is superb.