Over the years, I have had something of a love/hate relationship with French cinema. I greatly enjoyed “Delicatessen” and “The City of Lost Children,” of the early 1990s, but was somewhat disappointed in “Amelie” and “Le Mustache,” around a decade later. It would appear that the fundamental issue is the difference of appeal between two, distinctive societies, but things can change and HAVE changed, before. After all, just a few years back, I was enchanted by a period piece, taking place around the time of World War 2, entitled “Populaire.” I liked it enough to actually watch it two times in the theater, which rarely occurs. So, when I discovered that “Non-Fiction” was also known as “Doubles Vies,” in its native land, I was feeling moderately hopeful for a decent experience.

“Non-Fiction” was directed by Oliver Assayas (“Personal Shopper”), who also wrote the screenplay. One story that I discovered about the making of THIS movie was that it was originally set to be titled “E-book,” but Assayas decided that would be too impersonal of a title for a film such as this and I happen to agree.

The way people choose to interact with each other is key for any relationship and this is one of the important themes throughout the movie. It is not just about what is being said or the way it is being said, but also about what is NOT being said. Alain, played by Guillaume Canet (“Sink or Swim”) is a book publisher for a company that is quickly transitioning from the format of a physical medium to that of an electronic one. He meets with a long-time friend and client, Leonard, played by Vincent Macaigne (“News from Planet Mars”), who is anxious to get his latest work out to the public. However, Alain finds it difficult to tell Leonard that he is not intending to publish it and sort of just hints at it in a very back-handed kind of way.

My thinking about the character of Leonard is that he looks and even behaves like a 21st century Karl Marx. Before anybody deems this as a negative observation, I would like to clarify that for all of Karl Marx’s flaws and despicable behavior, he was still considered brilliant mind in his day and possessed a great level of likability in some circles. As Leonard returns home, he converses with his current lover/girlfriend, Valerie, played by Nora Hamzawi (“Alice and the Mayor”). It would appear that while Leonard is struggling to make a living, Valerie is perpetually making up for his shortcomings, as a reporter of sorts. As times rolls along, this relationship becomes the crux of the whole story, as I see it.

When Alain returns home, on his end of things, we see that he is, in fact, married to a television actress, Selena, played by Juliette Binoche (“Let the Sunshine In”). I find her char cater very interesting because she is SO detail-oriented about her thoughts and feelings, she constantly finds the need to correct herself and others when anything is misrepresented, even when it is minor and seemingly insignificant. It is something that I can relate to, myself, and leads me to a very important point for my understanding of this particular movie: it is relatable in a way that I have not seen from any French film that I can think of. Perhaps, I have been missing out and have just now made this discovery, but maybe, also, French cinema is coming out of its shell, soo to speak, and concentrating on stories that are not only modern, but more heart-felt.

Selena believes that Alain is seeing someone, outside of their marriage, and she is right, but then turns around and does the same thing. It is as though the tow of them are reaching out or holding on to something that they feel they are not getting within the marriage. On the one hand, Alain is with Laure, played by Christa Theret (“Brothers”), a young and sophisticated entry into the world that Alain is attempting to prepare for and Selena is with Leonard, something of a relic from the recent avenue of life, who appears to be slowly fading into oblivion.

At the end of the day, “Non-Fiction” is a an engaging story about flawed, but interesting people. It reminds me of some of my favorite films of the 1990s, in the vein of “Short Cuts” or “Your Friends and Neighbors.” I would be failing my thoughts if I did not briefly mention the variety of one-liners that seem to sum up the important details of the story: “Texts are modern haikus.” “All fiction is autobiographical.” “Some things are better left unsaid.” “Addiction is now our default setting.” As I read through those lines, I believe I am getting everything I need to know about this movie and I see that as a positive thing.

As I mentioned earlier, Leonard and Valerie are the ultimate crux of the story. As the sun sets and they spend some quality time in the corner of a field, near Alain’s and Selena’s home away from home, they discuss a new-found journey they are about to embark on. As Vincent confesses his happiness, I found myself happy for them and realized that the connection I was able to make with these characters was not only affective, but worthy. Therefore, “Non-Fiction” is a worthy movie. I would invite each of you to spend some time with these people, flawed like all of us are and that is what is important to understand.

Director: Oliver Assayas
Producer: Charles Gillibert
Screenwriter: Oliver Assayas
Starring: Guillaume Canet, Juliette Binoche, Vincent Macaigne, Christa Theret, Nora Hamzawi, Pascal Greggory as Marc-Antoine and Antoine Reinartz as Blaise
Distributor: Ad Vitam
Release: August 31st, 2018 (Venice) and January 16th, 2019 (France)