WATCH THE TRAILER!
(BANDE ANNONCE)

Set over the course of 50 years, An Impossible Love tells the story of a toxic romance, and of the unconditional love between a mother and her daughter that is threatened by a manipulative father.

At the end of the 1950s in Châteauroux, Rachel (Virginie Efira), a young woman from a Jewish working class background employed as a secretary and living at home with her mom and sister, meets Philippe (Niels Schneider, Gemma Bovery – SFFF 2015). Philippe is a brilliant and arrogant young man from a wealthy Parisian family who quickly reveals his narrow-minded views, but alas, Rachel remains blindly enamored. They share an intense but short-lived romance before Philippe moves back to Paris. 

Early in the film, Philippe describes three kinds of relationship to Rachel: marital love, passionate love, and the inevitable encounter. His romance with Rachel falls, for him, into the last category. Their romance exists beyond the conventional social order, which allows him to justify inexcusable behavior. So, when Rachel becomes pregnant, he leaves her to raise their daughter Chantal (portrayed as an adult by Jehnny Beth, front woman of the English rock band Savages) as a single mother. Despite this difficult fate in 1960s France, the resourceful Rachel builds a good life for the two of them while pursuing a successful career for herself. But she cannot be satisfied until Philippe recognizes his child legally. After many years, Philippe finally consents to being a part of Chantal’s life, leading to disastrous and heartbreaking consequences that almost destroy the strong bond between mother and daughter.

Subtly directed by Catherine Corsini (Summertime – SFFF 2016), An Impossible Love is based on a novel by Christine Angot, known for her powerful autobiographical fiction.

With a cameo by director Pierre Salvadori (The Trouble With You - playing this year at the SFFF).

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE