Let the Sunshine In

Isabelle (Juliette Binoche) interacts with a string of men as she attempts to piece her love life together, while failing miserably. Meaningless interactions and melodramatic, self-absorbed men characterise her life as she sets out to find a genuine love, giving the film an element of Groundhog Day – except Isabelle appears to be blind, or perhaps accepting, of the blatant repetition pervading her mundane life.

Despite her poor luck in the romantic department, our protagonist prospers admirably for a chance at love. She really is tireless in her search for the one, and we encounter a range of curious types: a smug banker, a troubled actor, her tired ex-husband and a (terribly creepy) dancer at a bar, among others.

But who will she choose? Or rather, who will she not?

The very final scene, a therapy session with a love-psychic, fits aptly following an entire film of Isabelle’s endeavors: after we’re left with an ardent desire to console and advise this poor lady, Gerard Depardieu’s character does our job – albeit in a slightly crude manner.

With an impressively strong French cast including the likes of Binoche and Depardieu (making his appearance in the end of the film as the love psychic who also has his eyes on Isabelle), Let the Sunshine In embodies what you would expect from a French film: artsy, passionate, oddly amusing (at times it shouldn’t be) - leaving you with a sense of bewilderment at what you just witnessed.

Naz Ozkan