The raw brutality of a vicious child custody battle is laid bare in Love Me Tender, director Anna Cazenave Cambert’s adaptation of Constance Debre’s 2020 novel. Premiering at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Love Me Tender is based on Debre’s real-life experiences of being a French lawyer turned bohemian author who loses custody of her child when her ex-husband objects to her new sexual relationships with women.

Clemence (the supremely talented Vicky Kriebs) and Laurent (Antoine Reinartz) were teenage sweethearts who were together for twenty years before they split up three years previously. They successfully co-parent their eight-year-old son, Paul (Viggo Ferreira-Redier), dividing his time between their homes in Paris. Laurent is the only man Clemence has ever slept with, but now she sleeps with women. She breaks this news to Laurent over a friendly coffee one afternoon. He seems to initially take the news well with a light-hearted response, but over the next few weeks, his mood darkens. This culminates in Paul refusing to talk to Clemence when she comes round to pick him up for their regular custody changeover. Laurent has somehow poisoned Paul against Clemence – we never find out how – and Clemence leaves Laurent’s apartment empty-handed. Matters take a turn for the worse over the next few months, and Paul continues to refuse to speak to her. As we don’t know why, we see the story purely from Clemence’s perspective – very clever story-telling. This period culminates in a legal request from Laurent to have sole custody of Paul, alleging paedophilia and incest. Then the multi-year-spanning drama really begins.

Cambert has created a beautiful tribute to Debre’s heartfelt story. Kriebs looks exactly like Debre, her reinvention from a successful monogamous heterosexual lawyer to a shaven-headed sex-positive tech-club-loving lesbian in a flat-share, seemingly perfect, until the homophobic patriarchy doom-mongers come calling. She’s brilliant as the stoic, trapped yet realistic mum, caught up in a nightmare, but also able to escape the trauma from time to time. Reinartz is also strong, particularly in documenting Laurent’s decline from a relaxed and affable co-parent to a hurt, vengeful, almost psychotic ex. Ferreira-Redier gives a very polished performance as the gentle but reticent eight-year-old caught up in the bureaucratic, bitter battle that follows. The individual grief surrounding everyone involved is palpable. The undercurrent of societal homophobia is ever-present, from the accusation of paedophilia which stemmed from a photograph of Paul casually sitting with one of Clemence’s gay male friends in a Pride outfit during a Pride celebration, to Laurent’s accusations of Clemence not living a normal life as a mother. Beautiful cinematography includes scenes from Paris in the spring, a sharp contrast to the dark subject matter, both held together by a poignant, poetic soundtrack. Cambert takes us seamlessly from scene to scene – nightclubs, swimming baths, her father’s home, child welfare offices, house shares – all are presented with a cool style and authenticity. An unmissable masterpiece.

10/10