The End of Love

Description: Two lovers are interrupted by the cries of a baby. When the woman leaves to attend to the infant we realise that the man was not in her bed. He is in a different country altogether. Their coupling was facilitated by a video call. Yuval and Julie were separated when he was forced to return to Israel to renew his visa. His wife is left to look after their son Lennie in Paris. Video calls is their means to maintaining their relationship. As the bureaucratic wheels slowly grind, their interactions become increasingly testy. Julie feels the strain of trying to keep her job while bringing up their son on her own. Yuval is frustrated by his inability to secure work or foundation grants for his photography to support them when he return to France. Sometimes one calls the other at inopportune moments, enabling inebriated friends or nosy family members to intrude with unwelcome advice. Things don’t get better from there.

Merits: In the hands of another director the formal structure of this film, consisting entirely of video calls, would be substantially limiting. Admittedly, the mid-section does lag a bit. Yet, as the relationship disintegrates (the film’s name makes the final outcome predictable) Ben Rafael delivers some narrative and stylistic surprises. In the age of COVID-19, with some of us in forced separation and relying on social media apps to maintain our relationship, this film feels unexpectedly timely.

Rating: Mild graphic sex, strong language, drugs (smoking of a joint.)

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