Marie-Jo and Her Two Lovers

Nominated for Best Director at Cannes in 2002, Robert Guédiguian (Army of Crime) offers a warming insight into the volatile love triangle between Marie-Jo (Ariane Ascaride), her husband, Daniel (Jean-Pierre Darroussin), and her lover, Marco (Gerard Meylan).

Marie-Jo is a seemingly happily married woman; blessed with an intelligent daughter, a doting husband and a rewarding job. Yet, despite these seemingly contented prospects, Marie-Jo has, for the past year, been locked in a deeply passionate love affair with another man, local seafarer Marco.

Guédiguian skilfully conducts his ménage-à-trois around a stunning Marseilles, a location that could easily be considered a co-star, as the director once again creates a complex and vibrant portrait of his native city. Guédiguian manipulates the mise-en-scene deftly to reflect the characters’ emotional confusion and their eventual catharsis at the hands of the sea.