The story in ‘La separation‘ (‘The Separation‘), made in 1994 by Christian Vincent, takes place in an interval of three months. During this time the couple formed by Pierre (Daniel Auteuil) and Anne (Isabelle Huppert) breaks up. Apparently, everything seems simple and straightforward. As spectators, we see in the film exactly what the title describes, the separation of a couple living a seemingly peaceful and comfortable common life, from the first signs to an explosion of violence beyond which there could usually be no return. But then, when the viewing is over, when we review and analyse what we saw, we come to the conclusion that there are many questions about the meaning of scenes, gestures and details, and that the seemingly simple and clear situations hide many layers and secrets open to different interpretations. It is one of those cases where the movie gets more interesting after we finish watching it.
Pierre and Anne seem to form a very typical middle class couple. He is a cartoonist, she is a therapist. They have a 15-month-old boy whom they both adore, but they do not give up their full professional and social life. The child is with a nanny during the day, sometimes also in the evenings when the two go to the movies or meet friends. We follow what is happening, especially from Pierre’s point of view. Something begins to squeak in the relationship between the two – at first the refusal of a gesture of tenderness, then her mental absence during a lunch when it is obvious that her thoughts are elsewhere. Not long after, the confession appears, calmly, without drama – she fell in love with another man. We will never see this third character. We might even doubt that he really exists. The two continue to live together. Pierre is trying to save the relationship. The lawyers are mentioned at one point, but this is not a divorce film, the two are not even legally married. When their best friends announce their intention to get married, the news amazes them, the decision of the friends falling right at the moment when their relationship was getting as close as possible to the crisis. It is a film about contretemps, about the lack of communication, about the difficulty of understanding those close to us.
‘La separation‘ largely relies on the two lead actors and both are wonderful. The story being told from Pierre’s perspective, Daniel Auteuil was on screen most of the time. The actor admirably reproduces the man’s attempts to absorb the blow, the gradual accumulation of tension that inevitably breaks out at some point, his attempts to save not only the appearances but also the essence of the relationship, but also the communication problems. Isabelle Huppert is ideal for the role of Anna. Few contemporary actresses know how to create so well an aura of feminine mystery around their characters. Wrapped in silence at many key moments, she does not reveal much of her secrets to either Pierre or the spectators. The description of the evolution of the relationship between the two avoids melodrama. The ending holds a surprise for the spectators, and leaves them to imagine their own final. I recommend to those who have not seen the film yet to look for it and write their own ending for the script.