Love Me Tender is the shocking, unjust, and almost unbelievable story of a former lawyer, Clémence (Vicky Krieps), who loses custody of her son after confessing to her ex-husband (Antoine Reinartz, never one to shy away from a villainous role) that she has flings with women (one of whom is played by the wonderful Monia Chokri). At stake is the exposure of the repressive system that stifles women’s freedom. Constance/Vicky’s cool composure stands in stark contrast to the grotesque rigidity of the institution that takes her son away and places her exemplary motherhood under the supervision of social services.
The pacing, the lighting, and the ability to embody an entire life and make the passage of time palpable make this film—a loose adaptation of Constance Debré’s book—a magnificent directorial achievement. And it gives Vicky Krieps the space to fully embody the role, to merge with it. Love Me Tender allows her to completely reinvent herself, to adopt a way of moving and being in the world that we have never seen in her before: an extraordinary acting performance.
