AFTER LOVE

Breaking up is rarely easy, but sometimes it’s damn near impossible. Such is the case for Boris and Marie, whose seemingly loveless, 15-year-old marriage has been hanging in limbo for several reasons. First, the couple’s financial situation is dire. Boris can’t afford a place of his own, so he sleeps in a separate area of the same house. They’ve even split up days with their young daughters, with one of them forced to leave the property until the girls are asleep. Obviously, this ridiculous set up is only leading to more dysfunction. Second, they’re afraid of how the breakup will affect their loved ones. Marie’s meddling mother doesn’t approve of divorce and makes it known every chance she gets. But as the tension and fighting intensify, it’s glaringly clear they aren’t doing anyone—especially their children—any favors by staying together. Sure, love is a beautiful thing. But when it ends, its lingering effects can be disastrous. AFTER LOVE is a brutally raw and often painful portrait of the anguish and confusion that comes when love dies. (In French with subtitles) —E.F.