''Lovers'' (french: Amants) is a 2020 French
romantic thriller
A romantic thriller is a narrative that involves elements of the romance and thriller genres.
A good thriller provides entertainment by making viewers uncomfortable with moments of suspense, the heightened feeling of anxiety and fright. A thril ...
film directed by
Nicole Garcia
Nicole Garcia (born 22 April 1946) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter. Her film '' Charlie Says'' was entered into the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Her film ''Going Away'' was screened in the Special Presentation section at the 20 ...
, from a screenplay by Garcia and
Jacques Fieschi
Jacques Fieschi (born 1948) is a French screenwriter. He has written for more than 30 films since 1985. He wrote and directed the film '' French California'', which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
...
. It stars
Stacy Martin
Stacy Martin (born 20 March 1990) is a French actress. Her breakthrough role was playing Joe as a young woman in Lars von Trier's 2013 drama film ''Nymphomaniac''.
Early life
Martin was born in Paris, where she spent her early childhood. She m ...
,
Pierre Niney and
Benoît Magimel
Benoît Magimel (; born 11 May 1974) is a French actor. He was 14 when he appeared in his first film, and has starred in a variety of roles in French cinema. At age 16, Magimel left school to pursue acting as a career. In 2001, he won the Best Ac ...
.
It had its world premiere at the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
on 3 September 2020.
Cast
*
Stacy Martin
Stacy Martin (born 20 March 1990) is a French actress. Her breakthrough role was playing Joe as a young woman in Lars von Trier's 2013 drama film ''Nymphomaniac''.
Early life
Martin was born in Paris, where she spent her early childhood. She m ...
as Lisa
*
Pierre Niney as Simon
*
Benoît Magimel
Benoît Magimel (; born 11 May 1974) is a French actor. He was 14 when he appeared in his first film, and has starred in a variety of roles in French cinema. At age 16, Magimel left school to pursue acting as a career. In 2001, he won the Best Ac ...
as Léo Redler
* Christophe Montenez as Pierre-Henri
* Nicolas Wanczycki as Lisa's father
*
Grégoire Colin
Grégoire Colin (born 25 July 1975) is a French actor.
Career
Grégoire started acting on the French stage at age 12. He first caught the eye of critics in the 1992 Agnieszka Holland's psychological family drama ''Olivier, Olivier'' when he was ...
as Paul
*
Roxane Duran
Roxane Duran (born 27 January 1993) is a French-Austrian actress. She appeared in the Palme d'Or-winning 2009 film '' The White Ribbon''. She also acted in the '' Le moine'', a 2011 French-language film directed by Dominik Moll, an adaptation o ...
as Nathalie
Plot
Tragic, fatalistic love story. In Paris, young lovers, student Lisa (Stacy Martin) and drug dealer Simon (Pierre Niney), split when Simon has to flee the country. Heartbroken Lisa soon meets older and wealthy Léo (Benoît Magimel).
There are three locales, Paris, Mauritius and Geneva. We move from place to place as Lisa changes from girlfriend of a drug dealer to housewife of a rich businessman, to both when having an affair with Simon while married to Léo.
On Mauritius, the gorgeous surroundings contrast with Lisa being miserable and Léo almost forcing himself on her. Then, Simon turns up as a tour guide at their resort.
Lisa makes the men around her suffer while trying not to hurt anybody. Simon is a con-man with no options but Lisa and her money. Léo, who has a shady past, hopes to buy happiness.
Léo hires Simon as his driver. It looks like they could become friends, until Léo discards Simon like a used Kleenex.
In this world of haves and have-nots, of serve-or-be-served, you’re either young, poor and in love, or older, rich and despairing. Lisa is caught between Simon and Léo, and either leads to ruin.
Production
In December 2018, it was announced
Stacy Martin
Stacy Martin (born 20 March 1990) is a French actress. Her breakthrough role was playing Joe as a young woman in Lars von Trier's 2013 drama film ''Nymphomaniac''.
Early life
Martin was born in Paris, where she spent her early childhood. She m ...
,
Pierre Niney and
Benoît Magimel
Benoît Magimel (; born 11 May 1974) is a French actor. He was 14 when he appeared in his first film, and has starred in a variety of roles in French cinema. At age 16, Magimel left school to pursue acting as a career. In 2001, he won the Best Ac ...
had joined the cast of the film, with
Nicole Garcia
Nicole Garcia (born 22 April 1946) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter. Her film '' Charlie Says'' was entered into the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Her film ''Going Away'' was screened in the Special Presentation section at the 20 ...
directing from a screenplay she co-wrote with
Jacques Fieschi
Jacques Fieschi (born 1948) is a French screenwriter. He has written for more than 30 films since 1985. He wrote and directed the film '' French California'', which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
...
.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
on 3 September 2020.
References
External links
*
{{Nicole Garcia
2020 films
2020s romantic thriller films
French romantic thriller films
Films directed by Nicole Garcia
Films set in Paris
Films shot in Paris
Films set in Oceania
Films set in Switzerland
Films shot in Switzerland
2020s French films