Lou n’a pas dit non

Pierre and Lou have split up and Pierre is having a hard time with that. He is going to marry Suzanne, but both of them back out at the last minute, in the corridor of the city hall. Lou is working on a film about statues in the Louvre, representing Venus and Mars. One evening she bumps into Pierre, during a dance show directed by Jean-Claude Gallotta. They quarrel, cannot get through to each other. They are desperate in their love. Next day they go to the grave of Rainer Maria Rilke. Pierre has one girlfriend after another; Lou only spends time with museum curator Théo, who is disliked by Pierre. Lou works at home as a phone pollster for an association helping people in mental distress. When Lou has finished her film, a show is organised that is attended by Pierre and Suzanne.This film was inspired by the correspondence between Lou Andreas-Salomé and Rainer Maria Rilke. The film describes moments and aspects of the life of a contemporary married couple undergoing a metamorphosis. They admit they are in a rut. The female character, who is older than her partner, opens the way for a possible exchange and focuses on comradeship. As the poet said: ‘Love is no longer an issue between men and women, but an issue between one humanity and another.’ (J.D.)