Jealousy

Inspired by infidelities in his own family history, veteran French director Philippe Garrel keeps this story of tangled Parisian relationships a family affair by casting his son, Louis, in the lead. Best-known for Bertolucci's The Dreamers, Garrel junior, as always, exudes a tousle-headed bohemian charm, this time as a struggling actor who leaves his partner and small daughter for husky-voiced Anna Mouglalis (playing an effortlessly cool Left Bank type who we suspect is seriously bad news). Shot on 35mm black-and-white, Jealousy unfolds in romantic garrets and St Germain bars and is redolent of the New Waves classics of Truffaut, Godard and company. But while the atmosphere is captivating, the drama's something of a non-event. The 76-minute running time is one clue to the slightness of the narrative, since this wilfully lackadaisical offering never follows through on a promising set-up. Chic yet exasperating, it's somehow quintessentially French - just not in a good way.