Presented in Cannes Premiere Selection at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Valerie Donzel’s Love and the Woods is a huge success. The good news: This intense thriller by Virgin Efira and Melville Pupo (both incredible), with themes of influence and domestic violence, hits theaters today.
Love and Woods tells the story of Blanche (Efira), who, when she crosses paths with Grégoire (Pupo), thinks she’ll meet the one she’s looking for. The bond that binds them together is woven quickly and their story is built on anger. The couple moves in, Blanche leaves her family, her twin sister, opens up to a new life. But following the wire, she finds herself under the influence of a possessive and dangerous man.
From the beginning, there is a book written by Eric Reinhardt (Editions Gallimard) that strongly featured Valerie Donzel. “As soon as I read it, I saw personal resonances”the filmmaker tells us. “I completely identified with the character and this ability to pick myself up, to be patient, to tell myself that something else will change, that it’s not too serious. This bothered me a lot. And then the book was like that. It’s exciting that I immediately saw the cinematic potential for a great psychological thriller.”
Virginie Efira, on the other hand, did not hesitate to participate in this film, which sometimes has accents. Thriller Hitchcockian. “In this book, I saw a possible triangle between the subject, Valerie’s cinema, and what to bring.”– says the actor. “There was a consistency that made me say yes even before reading the script.”
The book contains the point of view of the writer. But in the film, the audience is in the head of the victim, which was a very important point for Valerie Donzel. “I wanted us to understand this fragmentation of the soul, which is torn apart by the little acid attacks she receives from her abusive husband.”The director notes.
“In the end, he completely loses faith in himself, does not even know what to think, what to say, and closes himself in a kind of shame and silence, where he only suffers”continues the filmmaker. “But at some point, he decides to take back his home, which is his soul, his body, his life, to go put that word somewhere safe and decide to get out.”
A psychological thriller of great intensity, performed by two actors in a state of grace, Love and the Woods, which deals with a delicate subject with great precision, captures the heart and makes the heart beat. You probably won’t come out unscathed. Currently in the cinema.
“Love and Forests” trailer:
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
