Here’s a love story with a difference. When easy-going Arnaud (Kévin Azaïs) meets feisty combatant Madeleine (Adèle Haenel), he decides to follow her on to a “super-hard” army training course. Convinced that the end is nigh, Madeleine is a survivalist force of nature – tough, determined, undeterred. But when the pair take off into the woods, their isolated relationship takes an unexpected turn, Edenic dreams turning to existential End Times.
Retitled Love at First Fight in some territories, this enchanting French oddity (which picked up numerous Cannes and César awards) boasts terrifically likable performances from Haenel and Azaïs, who bring wit and warmth to their respective outsider roles. Offering a much-needed alternative to traditional romantic models, this has outlaw humour to spare but never moves too far away from heartfelt emotion. The dramatic final act is audacious, yet wholly in keeping with the film’s bubbling themes of love and war.
