"There is much of great beauty, particularly cinematographically and in the musical score, about this film. The performances are by and large superb." Avril Carruthers MOVIE VAULT "Unlike Unfaithful, where the filmmakers seemed thrilled to leave so many motivations unspoken, in this film, they express their feelings by well, expressing their feelings. And it’s not like sitting through a morals lecture. It’s a better film than Unfaithful (even if I’d rather watch Diane Lane have wild sex rather than Ms Ascaride who is in wonderful shape, actually) and it’s every bit as good as any of the Rohmer films. Otherwise, a wonderful, smart film." David Poland THE HOT BUTTON "Four Star" Ron Banks WEST AUSTRALIAN "A strong performance by Ariane Ascaride as Marie-Jo, and despite her dilemma she teases out the two sides of her character she needs to be when with each man. She displays a strong emotional depth and understanding to a complex character in a not so straightforward situation." Sonia Da Silva ALTERNATIVE MELBOURNE

"The source of her angst is not so much that she's been cheating on her husband, but that she can't relate the joy of that relationship to him. Although it all might sound a tad precious on paper, Ascaride's understated, complex performance along with those of her co-stars and Guediguian's (for the most part) restrained direction keeps it all very real." Michael Rechtshaffen THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER "Marie-Jo et Ses Deux Amours, considered by his (Guediguian) admirers to be his best film." Ron Holloway MOVING PICTURES "Another passionate Marseilles story from writer-director Robert Guediguian." Tom Ryan THE SUNDAY AGE "There's a lot of skin and post-coital lolling, and we see the secret quiet stares of each for the other's sleeping body (at both ends of the triangle). It's perhaps not so daring to show naked 50-year-olds making love and being comfortable in their bodies, although not many films do it; it's more unnerving to see their naked emotions as well. It's a more operatic style, but still immensely grown-up and rewarding - a film about love for people who weren't born yesterday. Paul Byrnes SYDNEY MORNING HERALD "Rarely have the dimensions of love been so richly portrayed in all their variety." Piers Handling TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL

At A Glance

"Grounded by the beautiful central performance of Ascaride, "Marie-Jo and Her Two Loves" is distinguished by a particularly fine cast, production is handsome providing sensual imagery of Marseilles." .................... David Stratton VARIETY

According to director Robert Guédiguian, "The tales and tragedies are "forgotten"; this is a romantic film: meaning intimacy, dreams, exaltation, spirituality, a yearning for the infinite, etc... All set against reality." A big hit at the 2003 French Film Festival, "Marie-Jo et Ses Deux Amours" [Marie-Jo and her two loves] is a warts and all look at a love triangle between a woman [Marie-Jo], her husband [Daniel] and her lover [Marco]. Tales such as this are not new, we have seen it all before. In fact as recent as 2002 with "Unfaithful", which earned its star Diane Lane an Academy Award nomination. The difference with Guédiguians "Marie-Jo et Ses Deux Amours" is that those sharing the relationship in this love triangle are distinctly middle aged and they reflect the normality of suburbia. Daniel and Marie-Jo could be anyones neighbours and they could easily blend in without raising an eyebrow in any suburb of any city. Those who are followers of French film and in particular Robert Guédiguian, will already be familiar with some of the cast members who have made regular appearances in Guédiguians films. "I've made a new film with the same actors and crew, once again set in Marseilles", he said, "I need to stress the adjective "new"". So what is "new" according to Guédiguian? "New because the actors are the same and yet different, we're growing up together. Similarly, the settings have changed." That is evident and if "new" translates as, vitality, fresh, engrossing, spicey or bemuzing, then it's certainly very true of "Marie-Jo and Her Two Loves". Of course the driving force behind the film is its star Ariane Ascaride who 'is' Marie-Jo. Ascaride's peformance is one of great beauty and totally convincing. She captures the anguish and conflict in Marie-jo as if it was happening to her personally. There are tender moments as Marie-jo ponders having to choose between her two loves, touching moments when they make love and heated moments as mother and daughter are forced to take sides. Like Marie-Jo, "Marie-Jo et Ses Deux Amours" grows on you minute by minute [as do all the characters]. It may be an old tale but this is a fresh, lively re-invention with a lot of punch that will definately grab, then hold your attention. The Story

"The film's voluptuousness is a constant pleasure. Guediguian's love for his home region illuminates every shot" Sheila Johnstone SCREEN INTERNATIONAL CANNES

Marie-Jo has a dilema. By all appearances she is happily married. Her husband has a successful business she works as a carer and they have a bright, attractive daughter Julie who is about to enter university. On the surface they appear to be a normal everyday family. But Marie-Jo has a secret. She has two loves. Her first love is Daniel her husband. Her second love is the handsome harbour pilot Marco. At the beginning it seemed so easy. But lately Marco has become more demanding. He is not happy away from Marie-Jo. Marco longs to see more of her but it is not possible. Then, while working on a nearby roof, Daniel sees Marie-Jo at a nearby house. Why is she there? Shouldn't she be at work? As his suspicions grow, so too does the love Marie-jo has for Marco. It is causing her anguish. She doesn't want to be forced to choose between Daniel or Marco but she may be left with no other choice. The Verdict "A lucious, understated film that grows on you minute by minute. A beautiful story of conflict and love. Ariane Ascarides performance as the complex Marie-Jo in "Marie-Jo et Ses Deux Amours" is a joy to watch. A rich and colorful film that isn't afraid to bare its soul and its sexuality. Another Guediguian winner." The Cast & Crew

Ariane Ascaride Jean-Pierre Darroussin Gérard Meylan Julie-Marie Parmentier Jacques Boudet Yann Trégouët Frédérique Bonnal Souhade Temimi Maya Sevleyan Frédéric Garbe Danielle Stefan Jacques Germain Axel Köhler

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Marie-Jo Daniel Marco Julie Jean-Christophe Sylvain Mrs Fauvelet La collègue de Marie-Jo La dame à la minerve Le toubib L'invitée à la fête Le pilote Le commandant allemand

Directed by Robert Guédiguian Written by Robert Guédiguian & Jean-Louis Milesi Produced by Robert Guédiguian Cinematography by Renato Berta Film Editing by Bernard Sasia Production Design by Michel Vandestien Costume Design by Catherine Keller Makeup Department Mayté Alonso Production Manager Malek Hamzaoui Unit Manager Bruno Ghariani Run Time minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright © 2003 - Sharmill Films - All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2003 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved