Danielle Arbid adapts Annie Ernaux’ famous novel and tells the story of the burning passion of Hélène, a divorced mother, for Alexander, a Russian businessman. Carried by the great French actress Laetitia Dosch, Passion Simple makes us share this love that turns into an obsession and takes the heroine all the way to Moscow. Danielle Arbid shows the sexual relations between these two characters, but her goal is also to make us feel how this physical passion becomes mental. When she is separated from her lover, the heroine becomes a drug addict, unable to live her personal life. Laetita Dosch′s talent brings lightness and a tone of comedy to this situation. The film is also very visual, giving Hélène’s passion the appearance of a dreamlike journey. A novel written and adapted by a woman, Passion Simple offers an incisive look at feminine desire. (Stéphane Du MESNILDOT)