Simple Passion (2020) – A Quiet, Intimate Study of Obsessive Love
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Danielle Arbid
Starring: Laetitia Dosch, Sergei Polunin, Lou-Teymour Thion
Simple Passion (2020), directed by Danielle Arbid, is a slow-burning French drama that examines the emotional toll of obsessive desire through a deeply personal and minimalist lens. Adapted from Annie Ernaux’s autobiographical novel, the film follows a woman consumed by a brief, all-consuming affair.
Laetitia Dosch plays Hélène, a divorced literature professor and mother who becomes involved with Alexandre (Sergei Polunin), a Russian diplomat. What begins as a passionate physical connection quickly unravels into an emotional entanglement where Hélène loses herself in the unpredictability of the relationship. As she waits for his calls, texts, and fleeting visits, the world outside their affair becomes distant, almost unreal.
Dosch delivers a raw and honest performance, capturing Hélène’s vulnerability, longing, and quiet unraveling. The film doesn’t rely on big plot twists or dramatic turns—instead, it’s a character study grounded in silence, repetition, and the aching solitude of wanting someone more than they want you.
Sergei Polunin, enigmatic and aloof as Alexandre, is more a symbol of fantasy and desire than a fully fleshed-out character, which aligns with how the film presents the story entirely through Hélène’s eyes. Their scenes together are charged but never romanticized—always shot with a sense of realism and emotional distance.
Arbid’s direction is restrained, with a soft visual style that favors muted tones and intimate framing. There’s a quiet melancholy that builds as Hélène’s emotional world begins to collapse—not in melodrama, but in the slow erosion of hope and self-worth.
Simple Passion isn’t about romance; it’s about fixation, loneliness, and the quiet devastation of waiting. It’s a film that lingers in the spaces between moments, offering a tender, painful glimpse into a woman’s inner life when passion turns into obsession.
