Where the Sun Rises in Paris

In Paris, dreams and desires meet the dramas of real life.When young teacher Camille (Makita Samba) moves in with Émilie (Lucie Zhang) as a roommate, a passionate affair quickly develops between the two. While Émilie assumes that it will develop into a relationship, for Camille it is nothing more than sex. Because he is simply not made for love. When the relationship between them becomes too complicated as a result, Camille unceremoniously moves out again. A short time later he meets Nora (Noémie Merlant), who could change his attitude towards love. Actually, Nora was coming to Paris to resume her law studies. But when she is mistaken for porn star Amber Sweet (Jehnny Beth) by her fellow students, sensible studies are out of the question. While she is idolized by Camille, Nora makes a decision: She wants to meet Amber Sweet in person...

With "Where the Sun Rises in Paris" Jacques Audiard shows a picture of life in Paris that differs from the rest of the "City of Love" depictions that one usually gets to see in the cinema. Yet it is precisely in their naturalness that the black-and-white shots paint a fascinating and thoroughly enchanting picture of Paris. In this visual setting, the individual stories about the sometimes very difficult search for love and the pitfalls of the digital age unfold in an unagitated and, precisely because of this, absolutely captivating way. Audiard's film is raw, often the exact opposite of romantic, but at the same time always surprisingly tender, almost poetic and very close to life.

Whether it's the depiction of sex or observing completely normal conversations - everything somehow seems real, uninhibited and natural. In addition, he always manages the skillful balancing act between drama and lightness. For example, when Nora is exposed at university because suddenly everyone sees her as just a porn actress, her helplessness really hits you in the heart, as you realize that her dreams go up in smoke from one moment to the next. Later, however, there is a scene that shows with light humor how strong Nora comes out of this situation. And that is just wonderful!

"Where the Sun Rises in Paris" is a film about life and love, about self-determination, freedom and loneliness. Sometimes sad, sometimes sparkling, sometimes light and airy, then again dramatically heavy. Just like real life. Anyone who appreciates European arthouse cinema should not miss this film. Absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp