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6.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Les amours de minuit remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, if you have a soft spot for old French crime dramas that look like they were filmed in someone’s basement, you’ll probably get a kick out of Les amours de minuit. It is not for the folks who need a massive budget or slick pacing to stay awake. If you hate movies where people just stare at each other in dark rooms for ten minutes, keep walking. 🌙
The whole thing kicks off with a bank employee who decides to be a thief. He’s not a mastermind. You can see the regret on his face before he even leaves the building. It’s that kind of relatable, stupid mistake that sets the tone for the night.
There is this specific weight to the scenes. Everything feels damp. Like the walls are closing in on these people. It reminded me a bit of the suffocating tension in Blackmail, but with more cigarette smoke and significantly less patience.
When the convict shows up, the movie stops trying to be a heist flick and just becomes a weird, jittery dance. The girlfriend character? She’s the only one who seems to know what’s actually happening. Everyone else is just running in circles.
There is this moment near the end where the guy just stops running and sits down. It goes on for way too long. Most directors would have cut that out, but here it stays. It feels like the actor just forgot he was supposed to keep going, and the director just shrugged and said, "Keep it." It makes the whole scene feel real in a way that polished Hollywood stuff never does.
It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even a particularly smooth ride. But it has a heartbeat. Sometimes that’s enough to keep me watching until the credits roll. 📽️
