Film review: Paris, Je T’aime

A day in the life of the city of love.

Showcasing a collection of short stories from 18 international directors, Paris, Je T’aime is a compelling portrayal of love. Artfully edited, the film combines scenes from each of the directors to result in a tale of how love affects our lives.

Each director was given a neighbourhood in Paris and the result is a variety of different approaches to this age-old subject. With only a few minutes of screen time each the directors express, some much better than others, their Parisian love story.

Paris always has and always will be the perfect backdrop to a love story.

All of the scenes honour the city's romantic soul. Some chose the predictable classic boy meets girl storyline, such as in Quais de Seine which has a young French boy helping a Muslim girl who falls down, he lets her leave but quickly realizes he cant let her walk out of his life.

In stark contrast, and proving to be the most moving, Place des Victoires is a surreal story of a mother's pain and grieving over her dead son, the contrast of falling in love and dealing with the loss of love in these scenes creates for insightful viewing.

Creating a buzz, Tom Tykwer’s submission with the lovely Natalie Portman features her calling her blind boyfriend to tell him the relationship is over. This begins a journey through his mind tracing the entire relationship, even though Tkywer is only allowed the same amount of time as every other director his ability to conjure a sense of the entire relationship provides a more than worthy submission.

Impressing as always, the Coen Brothers contributed Tuileries. The ever-present Steve Buscemi is a lonely American tourist reading a guide book on a platform. However, he is not quick enough to heed the guide book’s advice and finds himself in a hilarious confrontation with a young couple. The Coen brothers experience shows in this piece with the witty camera work and stylised approach making an entertaining 5 minutes.

Perhaps the most surprising submission is that of Vincenzo Natali who presents us with a modern day vampire short staring Elijah Wood who stumbles across a female vampire feeding on a victim. He quickly falls for her charm and goes to great lengths to have her. The style is enough to keep any classic horror or even Sin city fan entertained. It isn’t a case of all style and no substance either - be prepared for a captivating conclusion.

Paris, Je T’aime has something for everyone, the hopeless and sour romantic alike. It is effortlessly accessible to all viewers regardless of whether or not they are a seasoned Paris veteran or have never set foot on French soil.