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While it only pops up in the end credits, covered by Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen’s gentle, mystifying song ‘Suzanne’ seems like a guiding light for French writer/director Katell Quillévéré’s second feature.
The lines “You know that she’s half crazy/But that’s why you want to be there” certainly chime with the magnetic Sara Forestier’s titular character, a selfish working-class girl whose at-all-costs affair with the good-for-nothing Julien (Paul Hamy) drives her family to the brink.
Quillévéré’s elliptical plot isn’t always spot-on, skipping years to a near maddening degree. But treading a fine line between poetry and realism, it’s still heartfelt and harrowing.
James Mottram is a freelance film journalist, author of books that dive deep into films like Die Hard and Tenet, and a regular guest on the Total Film podcast. You'll find his writings on 12DOVE and Total Film, and in newspapers and magazines from across the world like The Times, The Independent, The i, Metro, The National, Marie Claire, and MindFood.

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