40 Love

Stéphane Demoustier's debut feature—a drama about both a father's effort to rebuild his life after losing his job, and the ambition of his tennis-obsessed son—is constructed rather like an exciting match, with the narrative bouncing back and forth between the two principals. Olivier Gourmet stars as Jérôme, who is fired after years of managing a department store. Following a fruitless search for another job, Jérôme decides to use years of experience to start a business of his own, which requires both research and financial backing. Meanwhile, the discovery that Jérôme's 11-year-old son Ugo (Charles Mérienne) has a heart condition that increases his stamina on the tennis court leads to Ugo being invited to an advanced training program that could earn him a spot at France's national center for gifted players. In the midst of all this, Jérôme's wife (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) decides to seek a new life, and the father-son bond grows closer, until a twist confronts Jérôme with a painful decision concerning the future of both. The narrative turns in 40 Love aren't always completely credible, but Demoustier's grittily realistic approach, along with the excellent performances by Gourmet and Mérienne, lend the film an otherwise true sense of authenticity that makes up for occasional lapses. Recommended. (F. Swietek)