Affair of Love

Theatrical Release Date: 2000 08 11 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 794043516825

Studio: New Line Home Video

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Adult Language]

Summary: In this drama, two people discover that it's not as simple as they thought to have a purely sexual relationship. A man and woman in their early 40s (Nathalie Baye and Sergi Lopez), are introduced to each other through a personal ad and agree to meet once a week for a sexual liaison. The meetings are meant to be exciting but impersonal; they agree that they won't exchange names or ask questions about their lives outside this relationship. They also don't engage in convention, though we're never told (or shown) just what the couple is sharing instead. However, as the weeks go by, a bond grows between them, and after several weeks he proposes that they have dinner together before retiring to their hotel room; a few months down the road, she suggests that they should try making love in the traditional manner for the first time. These events bring them closer together, but they also change the tenor of their relationship; this change is symbolized most clearly when a man collapses in the hallway outside their motel room and together they take him to a hospital. Une Liaison Pornographique was screened at the 1999 Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Volpi Cup for Best Actress – Venice International Film Festival

Features: Widescreen and full-screen version of the film
5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound
Original theatrical trailer
DVD-ROM content: original theatrical website
Interactive menus

Affair of Love

Format: DVD

Release Date: 01/23/2001

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope, 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, 2 PCM stereo

Runtime: 78 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) French

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1
0. Scene Selections
1. Main Titles [2:52]
2. Fantasies [3:39]
3. First Meeting [6:40]
4. Hotel [5:03]
5. The Second Time [6:08]
6. Normal Love [16:17]
7. Goodbye [4:56]
8. A Sign [11:36]
9. Declaration of Love [7:01]
10. Getting Personal [4:07]
11. Decision [8:39]
12. End Credits [4:30]

Keith Phipps

Released outside the U.S. under the title Un Affaire Pornographique, both titles accurately reflect Frederic Fonteyene's third feature. In fact, it works best as an examination of the tension between the two. Tightly focused, Fonteyene doesn't waste a moment of screen time or a word of collaborator Philippe Blasband's subtle script, demanding careful attention at all times. Interviewing both lovers post-affair, the film makes the most of the slight but significant differences between their two versions, though on most points they agree, particularly on the most important. Having met to fulfill some mutual, unspecified (and presumably uncommon) kink, they realize how difficult it can be to give intimacy away and how equally difficult it can be to sustain it. Both Nathalie Baye and Sergi Lopez turn in terrific, bittersweet performances that match Fonteyene's understated direction. Having established an intense mood, he's able to convey meaning simply by the amount of time he holds the shot of a hotel door. Such feats make for a moving, memorable drama. ~ Keith Phipps, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Patrick Quinet  Producer 
Philippe Blasband  Screenwriter 
Frédéric Fonteyne  Director 
Jeonnot Sanavia  Composer (Music Score) 
Andre Dziezuk  Composer (Music Score) 
Marc Mergen  Composer (Music Score) 
Nathalie Baye  Actor 
Sergi López  Actor 

Country: Belgium,France,Switzerland,Luxembourg