An American-style plot set in an azure landscape, tanned skin that does more than just languish in the sun: this is the new film by Abdellatif Kechiche.
Abdellatif Kechiche's film, shot immediately after the first installment of Mektoub My Love Released in 2016, this film, set on December 3, 2025, almost ten years later, features the same cast as the first film: Shaïn Boumedine alongside Ophélie Bau, who once again plays the Don Juan opposite a new character, Jessica Pennington. The film's enigma revolves primarily around this seductive protagonist, who sets off a veritable game of seduction.
The director of The Life of AdeleAbdellatif Kechiche is known for his unflinching portrayal of human suffering, sometimes with an unsettling authenticity. His often questionable working conditions reflect his vision of life, tinged with brutality and tragedy. Convinced that life's vicissitudes can either reveal or destroy an individual, his own trajectory is a perfect example: between success, boycotts, bankruptcy, and accidents, Abdellatif Kechiche is determined not to give up filmmaking.
Mektoub My Love: Canto UnoReleased in 2018, it's a slow-paced yet captivating film about the irresistible, saturated, and sensual life of the South. Oiled bodies, barely tanned by the sun, strut on a beach in Sète. Amin, the main character, though shy, is passionate about photography, likely in love, and possesses great empathy. Abdellatif Kechiche portrays emotions with restraint, allowing the film to reflect a reality marked by cowardice and modesty.
Meanwhile, two Parisian women arrive in the Mediterranean city and meet Amin's group of friends. We gradually follow their integration, as one feels at home while the other experiences a void. Is it a lack of affection from others, or a feeling of inadequacy? The authenticity of the dialogues, long and naturally imperfect, draws us into the lives of these young people. The desire to be young again seizes us like a moment of letting go. The intellectual dimension is not easy to discern: perhaps it is simply a story designed to evoke nostalgia.
The second part, Mektoub My Love: Canto DueThe film is steeped in lies, carnal passion, reconciliations, and friendships put to the test. Released ten years after filming, it abruptly ends before the plot is resolved. A bitter taste lingers after following these young people's summer, disrupted by outbursts of anger, jealousy, love, and power dynamics. Two new characters bring chaos to what was thought to be a semblance of stability: an American producer and his muse, a young woman, take a vacation in Sète.
The encounter between these stereotypical Hollywood Americans and the carefree spirit of the French Riviera youth unleashes a torrent of unexpected events. The camera quickens its pace, the plot thickening around misunderstandings and contempt. The saturated visuals and languid demeanor of certain characters remain, but the narrative takes on a new dimension. It is no longer a documentary about the trials and tribulations of young people on the French Riviera, but rather an exploration of the vices that threaten to disrupt their equilibrium.
The producer embodies impulsiveness, while Amin remains true to his carefree nature and empathy. Ophélie, one of the main female characters from the first film, continues her quest for self-discovery, torn between passion and reason. The happiness and naiveté of youth are never questioned until they cross paths with a man burdened by the grievances of success and an actress ready to let go.
The film juxtaposes lives that are diametrically opposed within a shared landscape. The summer of 1994 becomes unforgettable: we follow the questioning of two women who do not share the same economic status but whose doubts are similar. Amin matures and remains the symbol of the compassion that the film invites us to embody in the face of the unhealthy excesses of some. Abdellatif Kechiche is, this time, less restrained. This second installment of Mektoub My Love illustrates the consequences of impurity.
