Toi & Moi (You & Me) – DVD Review

By June L. Dec 1, 2009, 12:07 GMT

Using her sister Lena\'s (Marion Cotillard) love life as well as her own for inspiration, Ariane (Julie Depardieu) writes romantic stories for a popular magazine. But for these love-struck sisters, the lonely millionaires of the fiction world are miles away from the commitment-phobic boyfriends that live in their reality. ...more

For those who have wished their love lives could be as romantic as what is found in fiction, Toi & Moi is the story of two sisters Ariane (Julie Depardieu) a writer in Paris dating a commitment-phobic businessman and her sister Lena (Marion Cotillard) a professional musician caught in a relationship with a perfectly nice but romantically uninspiring teacher. 

What happens when they try to make their lives more like Ariane’s stories is a colorful, funny and sometimes touching look at what constitutes real love and romance.

Ariane writes stories for a magazine “Toi & Moi,” and these are a kind of graphic novel with a plot like a soap opera.  In costumed photographic stills with her dialogue appearing in balloons, viewers see Ariane’s work as well as inspiration taken from her life and that of her sister.  As Ariane appears in the role of heroine, her handsome but odd lover Farid (Tomer Sisley) is the brooding, dramatic hero. 

Ariane chases Farid in real life, as she has convinced herself he is the perfect one and is pushing for marriage.  She is determined that he loves her in spite of his tendencies to break dates and publicly dismiss her as frivolous. 

She seems a rather sad comedic character until the audience really sees her through the eyes of her sister, and in the perceptions of a handsome Spanish man Pablo (Sergio Peris-Mencheta) who is working on the building next door. 

Lena is attached to Francois (Eric Berger) a teacher who loves her, but doesn’t seem to understand her depth of character or her wish for romance.  He is a whiner, gives the impression of being insecure about his work and controls everything in their relationship. 

At first Lena appears content with her life as cellist in the symphony, not a solo performer, and as part of the couple with Francois.  When she meets Mark (Jonathan Zaccai) a guest performer violinist, he encourages her to pursue perfection in her art.  As she explores her passion for the music and for romance the viewers see Lena as much more than the complacent unassuming accompanist. 

Toi & Moi is presented on single disc with a running time of 90 minutes.  It is in French with English subtitles.  Theatrical reviews were less than stellar for this film, but I believe they are in error.  Viewers may not have known what to make of the story, as it defies a single categorization.  It is not screwball comedy, action adventure romance, or unwieldy philosophical angst, and it doesn’t leave audiences with a sober, somber look at life. 

What Toi & Moi does do is take a look at the meaning of love in an age that tends to disdain the romantic.  While laughing at or dismissing romance as a part of relationships the characters show us that humans still yearn for this special element.  What Ariane and Lena learn about love, romance and about themselves translates in any language.

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