Love Me If You Dare

7.3

30,445

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Original title: Jeux d'enfants
Year: 2003
Running time: 93 min.
Country: France
Director: Yann Samuell
Screenwriter: Yann Samuell
Music: Philippe Rombi
Cinematography: Antoine Roch
Cast: Guillaume Canet, Marion Cotillard, Thibault Verhaeghe, Joséphine Lebas-Joly, Gérard Watkins, Emmanuelle Grönvold, Gilles Lellouche, Julia Faure
Producer: Co-production France-Belgium;
Nord-Ouest Films, Studiocanal, Artemis Productions, France 2 Cinema, M6 Films, Media Services, Canoe Films
Genre: Romance. Drama. Comedy | Romantic Drama
Synopsis: Julien and Sophie are eight-year-old best friends, adorable tricksters and borderline psychotics. On one of childhood’s darker days, as Julien gradually becomes aware that his cherished mother is fatally ill, he stands up for Sophie by pulling a mischievous stunt on classmates who had viciously taunted her. From that moment on, Julien and Sophie will trade fearful and hilarious dares for decades, taking manic pleasure in trying to outdo each other’s audacity or cunning. They swear, insult authorities, stop traffic to share a youthful kiss and try to ruin a wedding or two. They are irrepressible, as is the love they will ultimately share. They may have their differences – Julien says he’d like to be a tyrant when he grows up while Sophie would prefer to be a flan – and may find themselves in other relationships as they move through their teens and into adulthood, yet it is always clear they are meant to be together. However, because of their “game” (an obsessive rivalry they seem unable to end) they remain at odds even as they grow closer.

Rankings Position

#119 Best French Movies of all time

Awards: 2003: Gijon Film Festival: Official Selection. Youth Audience Award Best Film

Critics' reviews

"It's a pitch-black, Grimm Brothers-style fable that enchants, frustrates and ultimately dares you to love it. Even if you don't, you'll be riveted"

Robert K. Elder: Chicago Tribune
"This is "Amelie" through the lookingglass (...) Strangely frustrating (...) Rating: ★★ (out of four)"

Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun-Times
"If you're able to take Love Me as a black comedy and suspend disbelief about the couple's mutual humiliations, it can be great fun"

Jack Mathews: New York Daily News
"Only the French, those self-proclaimed sages of ''l'amour fou,'' would dream of concocting a surreal romantic allegory like Yann Samuell's grown-up fairy tale"

Stephen Holden: The New York Times
"In this toxic tale of young psychopaths in love, the stylish, often stunning visuals are ultimately outmatched by the repellent protagonists"

Ann Hornaday: The Washington Post

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Ranking Lists Position

13 My Favorite French Movies (129)
18 Little Gems: Little Known Movies I've Discovered (98)
22 My Favorite Romantic Dramas (147)
23 My Top 10 Movies from 2003 (127)
58 Movies that Don't Seem that Special but are Very Special to Me (60)
73 My Favorite Movies from Europe & Latin America (34)
91 My Favorite Romantic Comedies (55)

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