Französischer Filmclub · Love me tender

A film by Anna Cazenave Cambet

Original French version with German subtitles · France · 2025 · 133’
Starring Vicky Krieps, Monia Chokri, and Antoine Reinartz

Late summer, somewhere in Paris. Clémence, a former lawyer, is writing her debut novel and embracing her newly discovered attraction to women. She shares custody of her eight-year-old son Paul amicably with her soon-to-be ex-husband, Laurent. But when Laurent learns of her romantic affairs, everything falls apart. He bars Clémence from seeing her son and demands sole custody. His accusation: Clémence’s lifestyle endangers Paul. A legal battle ensues, in which Clémence not only fights for her son but also demands her sexual and intellectual autonomy.

Based on the novel of the same name by Constance Debré, director Anna Cazenave Cambet’s second feature film depicts a woman’s struggle between her desire for freedom and the expectations placed on her as a mother and wife. Will she give in to her ex-husband in order to see her son again? Can she live happily without him? “Love Me Tender,” acclaimed at the Cannes Film Festival, is emotional, direct, and defies easy solutions. And it features a sensational lead actress in Vicky Krieps, who fearlessly lays bare the protagonist’s inner conflict.