Emotive material, full-on performances and jaw-dropping cinematic bravura lift this latest from French-Canadian maverick Jean-Marc Vallée (C.R.A.Z.Y.) to lofty heights of accomplishment. Is the love of our lives a once-only experience? That’s the question seemingly linking two disparate story threads. In the present, Québécois deejay Kevin Parent (himself a popular French-Canadian rocker) has found ecstatic romance for the second time but is wracked by guilt over leaving his first wife (Hélène Florent), who’s basically fallen apart since his departure. Meanwhile, back in late-’60s Paris, single mother Vanessa Paradis (frankly, a revelation) is battling to raise her Down’s Syndrome son (Marin Gerrier, equally amazing) with such ferocity it’s become dangerously obsessive. Crisis looms on both fronts, as Vallée’s mesmerising kaleidoscopic editing – comparable to Kieslowski’s The Double Life of Véronique – takes us on a journey of high passions and mysterious connections, intensified by Parent’s personal soundtrack of Sigur Rós and Pink Floyd. (Notes by Trevor Johnston.)

FRENCH FILM CLUB

Alliance Française and IFIMembers can avail of a discounted €7 ticket price for the screening of this film on May 30th at 18.50. Call the IFI Box Office on 01 679 3477 or collect in person. Anyone can join this club; simply leave your email address with Box Office staff.