Camille Cottin elevates French family drama 'Out of Love' as it opens in Israeli theaters - review

Out of Love, directed by Nathan Ambrosioni, which opened in theaters throughout Israel on Thursday, is a well-made if somewhat bland French drama about a single woman forced through circumstances to care for her sister’s children.

It joins a long list of European movies that play briefly in theaters and tackle the kinds of issues that used to be a staple of American TV movies. Many people enjoy these relatable dramas, and this one features an element that nudges it a little above the usual standard for these films: the always watchable Camille Cottin in the lead.

She is one of France’s most popular actresses, and deservedly so. She is terrific in both comedy and drama, and she has real screen presence. When she’s there, you can’t take your eyes off of her.

Even if you don’t recognize her name, you have likely seen her in recent movies, such as Just an Illusion and In the Land of Arto, or the television series Call My Agent! and the recent movie based on it, where she played an intensely narcissistic character who nonetheless became a fan favorite. She also played Golda Meir’s secretary opposite Helen Mirren in the 2023 movie, Golda.

Jeanne, the character she portrays in Out of Love, is a tense, successful insurance claims adjuster who broke up with her longtime girlfriend because the girlfriend wanted children and she didn’t. So she isn’t exactly delighted when her younger sister, Suzanne (Juliette Armanet), after years of silence, shows up out of the blue with her two children (Manoa Varvet and Nina Birman), asks to stay over, and then leaves during the night.

Movie opens with a powerful scene

Jeanne has no idea where her sister is or why she has done this. The movie opens with what turns out to be one of its most effective scenes, told from the point of view of the children, who are waiting for their mother, who has gone into the store at a gas station and left them in the car.

They are anxious because she seems to them to have been gone a long time, and we soon learn how much her behavior has made them afraid in general lately.

At first Jeanne, understandably, thinks that her sister may be experiencing a momentary crisis and will soon return for the extremely sweet children.

But when she can’t get in touch with Suzanne after a day or so, she contacts the police, who say that they cannot do anything to find a woman who has left her children with a relative and gone away. If she will not care for them, the youngsters will be put into the foster care system and likely sent to different homes.

Scenes are well filmed, well acted

Jeanne reluctantly steps up, and the movie details her journey of trying to tap into her softer side to become a maternal figure to the children. She also copes with a troubled heritage from her very dysfunctional parents, which has harmed her sister deeply and which she has tried to push from her mind.

Each scene is well filmed and well acted. Thanks to Cottin’s performance, we are instantly in Jeanne’s head, and we feel for her. But it’s evident from the beginning that once she is called to take care of these children, it’s only a matter of time until she is transformed into the stable parental figure they need.

Although she has anxiety attacks and chain-smokes nervously, it’s clear that she has a core of inner strength, and the tone of the movie is generally upbeat. Her coworkers are understanding and helpful; even a police officer contacts her to apologize. 

Out of Love presents a soothing universe where things fall into place in the end, perhaps a little more neatly than they do anywhere but in a TV-style movie.