Let me lay my cards on the table. I do not know why I watched this film. I usually have a reason. The common American title (An Affair of Love) is not a literal translation, so maybe that was it; I wanted to see A Pornographic Affair. I don't know.In it's most basic sense, this is a "chick" flick. Two people meet through an ad, arrange a liaison at a hotel to act out their fantasies, fall in love, and split. Well, the split part would not be satisfying to most. But, it is so much more that that. I could not take my eyes off the screen for fear of missing one word. There was nothing pornographic about this film; it was a beautiful love story.Nathalie Baye (Catch Me If You Can, Le Petit lieutenant) is an adult. She was 51 when she made this film. This is not a WB teen sex story. Sergi López (Pan's Labyrinth was almost 20 years younger. This was a film about two adults who met to have sex. No strings, no pretensions, just acting out sexual fantasies. We never learn what that fantasy was. Belgiun director Frédéric Fonteyne and writer Philippe Blasband left that to our imaginations, and I thank them for it. Their work makes me want to see their latest collaboration (Gilles' Wife) even more.As Baye and Lopez meet each Thursday, you can see the transformation. The sex is a given and out of the way. They are free to communicate as a man and a woman. They share every thought and feeling, except who they really are. Names, marital status, jobs, etc. are not mentioned ever. It is communication that I have never had and have never seen. It was beautiful.I said they fall in love and they split. I will not say more because that would spoil it for anyone who happens to catch this film. It is what makes this such a beautiful love story.I said I wanted to see Gilles' Wife to see more from this director and writer. I also want to see more of Baye and Lopez. Having said that, I am not so sure as I do not want to see something less that this film and spoil it. I cannot get this movie out of my head.Highly recommended.

The story of a romance between two people - no names, no lives, only each other and the time they had together.It's beautiful. It's one of those movies that stabs at your heart every now and then. You know what you want to happen, but at the same time, you know it won't. I love Natalie Baye and Sergi Lopez. Both actors are incredible in their own rights and wonderful together. The characters that they helped create only further that. I love how there are no names, no phone numbers, no address. There's only each other and that room. As the viewer, we don't even get to see what happens in that room, except for the more normal scenes. At the end of the movie, I can't help but wonder... what happened in that room and I watch it over and over to find out what happens and I never do. If anyone does, let me know. I'm still dying to find out. At the end of the movie, anyone who's seen it, knows it ends with an unhappy ending, but I can't help but think it will end differently. I always watch it and wait, hoping for something I know won't happen. It makes it end all the more beautifully, despite the fact that I still think in my twisted little head that perhaps the 'behind the scenes' guys gave them their phone numbers and names and they ended up together. Of course, when I know that my version didn't go as planned, I feel a deep sorrow. It's like two of my best friends breaking up and ruining everyone's lives...Of course, everything makes it all the more beautiful.I also love the way that the movie is brought out. It's a fictional movie with fictional characters presented as a documentary.

Her (Nathalie Baye) places an ad in a magazine looking for a sexual partner to share her fantasy. He (Sergi Lopez) responds. They meet in a bistro on a gray afternoon in Paris and proceed to a nearby hotel. Their coupling is verysatisfactory to them and they proceed to other encounters. All this is told in flashback with both speaking separately, and wistfully about what happenedand how it ended. This is a fascinating story, appealingly told with sureness by director Frederic Foteyne and his attractive, expressive leads. Yes, their affair is casual, sexual and without the usual "meeting cute" baggage. Actually, I thought she was the engine that began and ended the affair. Lopez's character seems to be far more emotionally involved as the affair progress than Baye's. He responds to herresponding to him and you can see him falling for her. Her speech to him about her feelings is quite startling and you think, maybe he's going to seek hercommitment. A happy ending, though this is not one of those silly tearjerkers where you sit there embarrassed, would have been wrong and it's very satisfying. I loved this small, quiet, movie. The sex is very discreet. The dialoge is direct and thank goodness this is not a wordy movie. It doesn't need it. It's got a very good director in control of his material and two fine leads who tell you all you need to know. I just discovered Sergi Lopez was the villain in DIRTY PRETTY THINGS. He's a terrific screen presence. Someone mentioned CHAOS (in connection with their review of this film),another French film I recently discovered. Two more mature, well-written, well- acted and directed films could not be imagined. Highly recommended.

This movie was an accident...that is, my viewing it was the accident. The title intrigued me, but I neglected to notice that this was a "French" film. Being rather inexperienced to the foreign film genre, I wasn't expecting much...sometimes, watching an actor speak in a foreign tongue and trying to read subtitles simultaneously causes me to miss the action, and facial expressions...something that would capture my attention...reel me in...not so with this flick.The acting, the script, even the flow of the French language was superb! Not only was I hooked, but I was devastated that the character's real emotions were never revealed to each other...if there's a sequel, I'll be watching!