Doubles vies

Leónard writes novels, Alain publishes them. His partner Selena is an actress, Valérie works in politics. Alain is with Selena and Leónard with Valérie, although fidelity is a flexible concept, like most things these days. So many old certainties seem to be ebbing away in the digital age, the places where debates play out, the roles that bring fame, the sources of profit for publishers, the very nature of a book. These are the subjects of all the wonderfully wry discussions which the characters, their friends and lovers conduct wherever they happen to be, at cafés, bars, and restaurants; readings and radio shows; hotels and bedrooms. The camera trails them through these spaces with the same restlessness they themselves feel, the lingering disquiet that the world might be leaving them behind. But however unstable, this brave new world is still rich enough, complex enough, absurd enough to provide endless inspiration, for yet more conversations, for novels, and for films, films just like this one, where intellectualism can be happily mocked, the private informs the public and vice versa, and fiction infects non-fiction so slyly you hardly notice until they are one and the same. (James Lattimer)

In the presence of Vincent Macaigne.