As romances go, they don’t come a lot less orthodox than this one. “Alex” (Denis Lavant) is a vagrant who finds a berth of a night on the Pont Neuf over the Seine that has been closed for renovation. He survives on a diet of drugs and alcohol and has no real friends beyond his dealer on the bridge. One night he discovers a woman sleeping in his spot. Neither man knows quite how she got there, but “Hans” (Klaus-Michael Grüber) vows to send her packing next morning. When that time comes, however, “Alex” discovers that “Michèle” (Juliet Binoche) is not only an artist, but that she has sketched him too. He wants that drawing, and she agrees if he will pose for a proper one. That’s the start of a relationship that reveals to him that she has a degenerative eye disease that might render her blind, and so their bonding becomes as much one of inter-dependency as it is about their gradually emerging love. It’s only when they are travelling on the metro one evening that “Alex” notices a poster campaign that could change both of their lives. Indeed, it’s his actions to prevent that that cause a tragedy that might bring both to decisions that will have a profound effect on their friendship. Binoche has got to be one of the most versatile of actors working today. From comedy to romance to drama, there is little that she cannot turn her hand to - and here she is on a strong form that’s well complimented by a Lavant who has also crafted an eccentric character that challenges plenty of stereotypes of the homeless in a city where the winters can be as unforgiving as a general population who treated them with disdain. It’s isn’t always the most evenly paced, and there are times when it takes it’s time, but for the most part I found this a story that reminds us that true affection needn’t have trappings to support it - except, maybe, some cheap plonk.
