Jealousy

Veteran French director Philippe Garrel (‘Regular Lovers’) once again casts his son Louis Garrel for this small but soulful study of love lost and found among a small group of cultured Parisians – several of them played by members of the Garrel family. A wistful black-and-white tale with a pleasingly lived-in, even improvised feel, ‘Jealousy’ tells of Louis (Garrel), who leaves the mother of his eight-year-old daughter for Claudia (Anna Mouglalis), an actress struggling professionally and emotionally. Garrel is perfect casting as the scruffy, artistic star of his own romantic saga, and the film’s pared-down style sidesteps any melodramatic potential, even during a hysterical late moment that should, by rights, feel ridiculous. Moreover, several endearing scenes played out between father and daughter cancel out any sign of navel-gazing. It’s a film that moves to the convincing rhythm of real life.