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Film Description
Frederic is happily married to a teacher expecting her second child and is a partner in a small Parisian firm. All's well. Then along comes his old friend Chloe, single and confident of her powers of seduction. They start to meet as friends. Classic Rohmer, subtle and unassuming and the last of his six Moral Tales.
Love in the Afternoon (a.k.a. Chloe in the Afternoon) is the last of six moral tales of Eric Rohmer. Frederic (Bernard Varley), is a happily married, well-to-do lawyer... more >
Love in the Afternoon (a.k.a. Chloe in the Afternoon) is the last of six moral tales of Eric Rohmer. Frederic (Bernard Varley), is a happily married, well-to-do lawyer married to Helene (Francoise Verley), a somewhat chilly English professor. Frederic rationalizes that his fantasies about other women are merely a reflection of the depth of his love for his wife. In one amusing sequence, he dreams that he possesses an amulet that gives him control over the will of any passer-by, a power of which he takes decided advantage of.
When Chloe (Zouzou), a free-spirited friend he used to know shows up, Frederic finds a release in her companionship and is able to confide in her in a way that he is unable to do with his wife. The central tension of the film is the choice Frederic must make between his passion for Chloe and his love for his wife.
Though there is a lot of talking in Love in the Afternoon, it never seems false or tiresome. This is a very charming film that Pauline Kael called "in every respects, a perfect film". It has a natural rhythm with characters that are so real that you don't want to leave them when the film ends. As Frederic's ultimate choice looms, we are privy to some sharp and insightful dialogue that illuminates the complexity of relationships. The story is told from the husband's point of view and we are left wondering how different it would be if told by his wife. Her tears at the end provide a clue.
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