Amour neutre

A fictional process. An amorous relationship in the process of falling apart? A semblance of narrative, a sketch of diegesis, the fragments of an encounter between a man and a woman: an 'encounter of the crossing', marked by return, splitting, distance. Indecisive attitudes suddenly suspended or contradictory, toneless voices. Figures, and not characters. The figure is this form that approaches and frees itself from the notion of character, which reduces presence to a borderline state and ruins representation. The figure strays from the real. This obliteration and ambiguity of the figure signal the vagueness of the subject, the loss of its unity, a relationship to the world of order and enigma. The figure as a simple appearance, a mental projection.

Directed by Pierre Coulibeuf, Amour neutre leans on a strong ensemble — Chloé Aujard, Eve Bitoun, Thomas Clerc — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 2005.