Lola

Lola (1961) is Jacques Demy's debut feature — a French romantic drama shot in Nantes that you can watch online on iFILM. Anouk Aimée plays Cécile, a cabaret dancer who goes by Lola, still waiting seven years on for the sailor who left when she was pregnant.

Roland, a young man drifting without direction, runs into her and falls hard — but Lola's heart is locked on someone who may never come back. Demy structures the film as a loose waltz of near-misses and coincidences: the city is small, lives keep brushing against each other, and yet the right people always seem to arrive at the wrong moment.

Photographed by Raoul Coutard in the manner of the French New Wave, it feels lighter than it is — almost musical — and the sadness underneath catches you off guard. Demy dedicated the film to Max Ophüls, and the influence shows. Stream Lola (1961) online on iFILM.