Boyfriends and Girlfriends

Boyfriends and Girlfriends (L'Ami de mon amie, 1987) is Éric Rohmer's French romantic comedy-drama, available to watch online on iFILM. A quiet study of how easily people mistake who they actually want.

It unfolds in a planned new town outside Paris. Blanche (Emmanuelle Chaulet), a reserved civil servant, befriends the more confident student Léa (Sophie Renoir). Blanche is smitten with the witty Alexandre but goes mute around him, while Léa drifts away from her boyfriend Fabien. Then Léa leaves on holiday — and Blanche finds herself growing closer to Fabien instead.

This was the final entry in Rohmer's "Comedies and Proverbs" series. The approach is pure Rohmer: barely any plot, just talkative young Parisians who reveal themselves through what they say and avoid saying. Looks slight, cuts deep about desire and self-deception. One for fans of unhurried French cinema who prize dialogue over incident. Stream Boyfriends and Girlfriends (1987) online on iFILM.