Not My Type

Opposites attract. Or so we're told. In Not My Type, writer-director Lucas Belvaux — previously at the Festival in 2002 with his epic La Trilogie series — pairs the tension of a great thriller with the freshness of a new romance to bring us one of the year's most insightful love stories.

When handsome young Parisian philosophy professor Clément (Loïc Corbery) is transferred to the northern French town of Arras, his world is turned upside down. In this small working-class community far from the wonders of Paris, Clément finds himself living in a hotel without emotional, intellectual or physical stimulation. And then he meets Jennifer (Émilie Dequenne), the charming and brassy blond coiffeuse from a local hair salon. On the surface, Clément and Jennifer have nothing in common. She's a single mother who reads tabloid magazines and has a weekly karaoke date with her girlfriends; he reads Proust and attends gallery openings. But despite their differences, there's something deeper between them, and before long this seemingly ill-matched couple begin to share in each other's lives and passions. Clément lets loose on the dance floor, and Jennifer dives into Kant. Their chemistry is undeniable, but is it enough to break down the self-made and socially constructed barriers between them?

Reuniting with cinematographer Pierric Gantelmi d'Ille, Belvaux creates an atmosphere at once intimate and distant, reflecting his couple's dynamics. Corbery and Dequenne are an onscreen delight, bringing to life the subtlety and energy of new-found love and the rhythms of relationships. These oscillating rhythms will have you on the edge of your seat, and you'll find yourself asking: is there only one type of love? Whatever your answer, Not My Type is definitely mine.

KERRI CRADDOCK