The Lovers on the Bridge (1999)

I love this movie so much

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Wow! This certainly wasn't like anything I expected. I thought I'd get an earlier version of "Chocolat" but ended up with the French answer to "The Deer Hunter".This movie certainly isn't entertaining, light, fun or frothy. It's like expecting a latte macchiato and being served elephant laxative. Paris is like a postnuclear wasteland here. Two young beggars meet when they camp out on Pont Neuf, Paris' eldest and most central bridge. Although the movie is surreal and fantastic over large parts (we will later see them waterskiing on the Seine during a fireworks display), this is maybe the most realistic depiction of psychotic people living on the streets I've ever seen.We go with Alex and Michèle through their love-hate relationship. It's amazing how unattractive Juliette Binoche looks here. Although you have to marvel about the twists and turns of the story and the many creative ideas of the director, in large parts it felt if someone tried too hard to impress me with their story. "There's this girl, she's super pretty but nobody knows because she's super messed up. She's this super talented artist but she's going blind. Then she meets this boy. He's super messed up, but also super talented. They live on this bridge. It looks messed up but it's actually the prettiest bridge of Paris." And so forth.This is the work of a talented megalomaniac. Enjoy the ride.

The way this film tells it's story is dazzling. A thing of beauty.The one gripe I have about the film as a whole is that the male lead has nothing to offer to the female lead. He is just a festering, ape-like bag of hurt and neediness. He has zero conversation, apparently indicative of zero thought process. When she tries to leave, he beats her or tries to drown her. The female lead is drawn, at some level, to the old watchman (another occupant of the bridge) who at least has some past normal life experience to which she can relate. He is a man with things to say, a man of deep ocean tides, not a man who has met life in the fetal position or failed to live at all.I will not say the male lead destroys the film. It is still awesome in style to behold. The way it achieves story-telling things is a marvel.But that guy. Oh, that guy.

Leos Carax is not a conventional cineaste.His films are a fascinating confirmation of his splendid strength of mind.Les Amants du Pont Neuf was declared mythical by the media even before it had been shot.The film is one of the most beautiful,tender,touching love stories to have emerged from the realm of French cinema.The film also shows the plight of homeless people in a positive light.It has tackled this burning issue in practically documentary fashion.Carax has created a love story in difficult,tough,unusual circumstances.Pont-Neuf denotes evasion for outsiders like Alex,Hans and Michele as it helps them to stay away from daily triteness.It is a dwelling which allows them to live their lives fully:Michele as a painter,Alex as a fire eater.

This is the worst movie ever made! countless times unrealistic things happen in an a "realistic" movie. how could a drunk nearly blind malnourished bum slalom ski? YEAH RIGHT. Take the money spent on this film and give it to the actual homeless and they could make a better movie. Feeling sadistic? give this to a friend! And countless miracle recoveries happen in the film after horrible injuries. What the hell? I wouldve never spoken to the person who lent this to me again if he didn't warn me ahead of time, so I am warning you, if your curious to what really rich producers spend their money on, this is it... Or if you just feel like crying that night and appreciating what good American movies you might have watch this film.