🎬 𝑨 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝑴𝒂𝒏 (2018)

A Faithful Man (2018), directed by Louis Garrel, is a French romantic drama that explores love, jealousy, and the passage of time through an emotionally intricate story. The film opens with Abel (played by Garrel), a Parisian journalist, being left by his partner Marianne (Laetitia Casta) after she reveals she is pregnant—with the child of his best friend, Paul. This unexpected betrayal sets the tone for a tale of tangled relationships and unresolved emotions.

Years pass, and Abel lives a quiet, solitary life until Paul suddenly dies. This event brings Marianne back into Abel’s life, reigniting their relationship in a way that seems both inevitable and unstable. However, their reunion is not welcomed by everyone—especially not by Joseph, Marianne’s precocious son, who harbors a suspicious and oddly hostile attitude toward Abel, even hinting that his mother may have poisoned Paul.

Further complicating the situation is Ève (Lily-Rose Depp), Paul’s younger sister, who confesses her long-standing romantic feelings for Abel. Now a grown woman, she openly pursues him, creating a love triangle that challenges Abel's emotional loyalties. Caught between two very different women—Marianne, the woman from his past, and Ève, a symbol of new desire—Abel becomes increasingly confused about what he truly wants.

As the story unfolds, the characters’ motivations blur the lines between honesty and manipulation. Marianne appears both caring and calculating, while Ève’s youthful confidence conceals emotional complexity. Abel, passive and reflective, is swept into their orbits, unable to assert full control over his own narrative. The film uses subtle humor and sharp dialogue to explore how love can be both nurturing and destructive.

A Faithful Man is a short but sophisticated film that pays homage to the French New Wave style with its minimalism and emotional restraint. It challenges conventional romantic tropes by refusing to present clear heroes or villains. Instead, it offers a bittersweet meditation on desire, trust, and the difficulty of starting over when the past is never truly gone. With strong performances and a nuanced script, the film presents a fresh yet nostalgic take on modern relationships.