Sebastian (Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Weekend) is staging an adaptation of Racines tragedy, Andromaque while a film crew captures their rehearsals on handheld 16mm. The productions star and Sebastians girlfriend, Claire (Bulle Ogier, Out 1), cannot take the pressure and removes herself. Life imitates art, creating a tragedy for the couple when Sebastian recasts the role with his ex. Lamour fou is a hypnotic study of tempestuous love, told with director Jacques Rivettes signature reflexivity and containing striking examinations of performance, art, theatre and life. A classic of the French New Wave and one of Rivettes most radical works, Lamour fou was unavailable for years, with the original elements tragically burned in a fire.
