My Sex Life…

Comment je me suis disputé… (Ma vie sexuelle)

Director
Arnaud Desplechin
Cast
Mathieu Amalric (Paul), Thibault de Montalembert (Bob), Emmanuelle Devos (Esther), Marianne Denicourt (Sylvia), Emmanuel Salinger (Nathan), Chiara Mastroianni (Patricia), Denis Podalydès (Jean-Jacques), Jeanne Balibar (Valérie), Marion Cotillard (Étudiante Ivan)
Date
1996
Duration
178 Minutes

29 year old Paul is on the verge of entering a new decade with great difficulty.  He is an assistant lecturer but is unable to complete his thesis and progress into a proper post.  He has been in a strained ten year relationship with Esther but neither will take the initiative to end it.  Furthermore, Paul’s circle of friends brings even more confusion and disarray to his situation as he jumps from one complex relationship to the next.

Arnaud Desplechin’s second feature is a prime example of the director’s gift to weave seamlessly multi-layered plot-lines within a compelling whole.  He is more than adequately abetted by a top-drawer cast, which includes his regulars Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and The Butterfly), Emanuelle Devos (Read My Lips) and Chaira Mastroianni (Les Chansons d’amour).  They have been making films together since, such as the award-winning Rois et Reine, and My Sex Life… indicates the high quality, ensemble pieces that we now take for granted from this vital French filmmaker.