writers_reign What struck me immediately when I spotted this DVD in a library was the unlikely teaming of the two leads; Yvan Attal personifies aggressiveness, virility, a sort of thinking man's ferret, hyper-active and largely insensitive whereas Bruni Tedeschi personifies fragility, porcelain beauty, vulnerability, I've more or less wanted to protect her in virtually every film I've seen her in because she exudes that rare quality that Judy Garland had. This is definitely Valeria's kind of film and by now she could phone it in; it's very much in the groove of Marion Vernoux's Rien a faire even though Kahn is light years short of Vernoux on the basis of these two movies. I would and will continue to watch Valeria in anything but I won't be in a hurry to watch this one again nor buy the DVD.

jotix100 Mathieu, a Parisian architect, is called to his dying mother's side. The painful realization she will soon die is made a bit less trying when he finds Maya, who has come back to the area after being in Africa for a while. Mathieu has lived to regret the loss of the love of his youth, and now, married, and having his own business, things begin to unravel for him.Maya also has regrets. Deep inside she never stopped loving Mathieu. Now that her former lover is back, she finds herself at a low point in her life. She also makes a tactical error in pursuing a situation that will leave her broken hearted because Mathieu is unable to commit to her, even though he tries.What Mathieu and Maya relive is their former passion. His wife Lisa senses she is losing him because he is haunted by the regret he feels in having left Maya when he did. After a mad Mathieu almost breaks down pursuing a resolute Maya decides not to continue seeing him, the lovers meet three years later only to realize there is nothing left of what they once had.Cedric Kahn wrote and directed the film. The film will resonate more with French audiences because the way the people understand what a passion can do to two people that have loved so deeply. It is hard to understand what these two lovers feel when they meet again after years of not having seen one another.The casting of Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi and Yvan Attal in the main roles works out because of they are intelligent performers. Basically, they are the whole film. Arly Jover, seen as Lisa, shows a promise of going far in the cinema. The musical score is by none other than Philip Glass. The cinematographer, Celine Bozon, captures intimacy between the Mr. Attal and Ms. Bruni-Tedeschi in vivid detail, bringing the viewer right into the picture.

Siamois Mathieu Liévin is an architect whose life seems stable and ideal. He is a quiet man, is in business with his girlfriend and seems very successful. As is ailing mother reaches the palliative stage of her illness, his life is about to change drastically. When he crosses a former lover on the street, the two of them begin a passionate and destructive affair.This relatively well acted film suffers from a slightly muddled plot and weak characters. At its heart, the biggest problem is that writer/director Cédric Kahn seems unable to decide whether this is a film about Mathieu or a film about Mathieu and his lover Maya. This weakness is constant throughout the entire movie up to the very ending and I am surprised a French director would not even notice this fault back at the writing stage and commit one way or the other. Right off the bat, this is frustrating because any writer who does not know what he is writing about can't create a lasting and quality film experience.The second fault (related to the first) is that it is difficult to empathize with Maya, and the depressed and bland characterization by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi make it even very difficult to imagine Mathieu would feel so passionately about her. She is unattractive, lifeless, moody. One must suppose that the trial of losing his mother is what is affecting Mathieu so strongly but if it is so, it is rather vaguely implied.Where the movie shines is in certain scenes showcasing how desperate and wild people will get when passion overcomes an individual, affecting reason. It was particularly interesting to watch Mathieu seemingly act like a teenager, throwing himself over running cars and generally acting like an hormone-crazed younger man. But to the very disappointing end, Les Regrets never ever commits to themes that it wants to explore. The whole structure is very much that of French art cinema but the artistry on display here is all style, no substance. Giving it a 3 because Attal was rather convincing in certain scenes.

johno-21 I recently saw this at the 2010 Palm Springs International Film Festival. This a film about romantic obsession between two forty-something former lovers. Mathieu Liévan (Yvan Attal) is a successful architect in the city and in business with his wife Lisa (Arly Jover) who returns to his rural hometown to visit his dying mother. He sees his former girlfriend Maya (Valeria Bruni Tedeshi) who has moved back there from Africa with her daughter from a previous marriage and new husband Franck (Phillip Katerine). Mathieu and Maya soon resume their long lost love with an illicit affair. These two really know how to push each others buttons for both good and bad. This film is a little far fetched at times but it keeps your interest because you never know which way the story might turn and it keeps you guessing as multiple situations arise. Written and directed by Cedric Kahn it features a powerful music score from multiple Oscar nominee and prolific film and television composer Phillip Glass. Also features the 1965 recording of Nina Simone "Sinnerman" that viewers will find familiar as it's opening bars are featured in the current television commercial campaign for HTC mobile phones. It kind of comes out of nowhere in the middle of the film and doesn't really add to the flow of the film. A fine cast and nice performances although the roles of the husband and daughter could have been more developed. I had a few problems with this film but would still recommend it and give it a 7.0 out of 10.