X
  • 1992
  • R
  • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • 1 h 55 m
  • 1992
  • R
  • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • 1 h 55 m

Summary In 1929 French Indochina, a French teenage girl embarks on a reckless and forbidden romance with a wealthy, older Chinese man, each knowing that knowledge of their affair will bring drastic consequences to each other.

Directed By: Jean-Jacques Annaud

Written By: Marguerite Duras, Gérard Brach, Jean-Jacques Annaud

  • 1992
  • R
  • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • 1 h 55 m
  • 1992
  • R
  • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • 1 h 55 m

The Lover

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 25 Critic Reviews
59
User Score Mixed or Average Based on 5 User Ratings
5.0
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary In 1929 French Indochina, a French teenage girl embarks on a reckless and forbidden romance with a wealthy, older Chinese man, each knowing that knowledge of their affair will bring drastic consequences to each other.

Directed By: Jean-Jacques Annaud

Written By: Marguerite Duras, Gérard Brach, Jean-Jacques Annaud

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 25 Critic Reviews
59
48% Positive
12 Reviews
52% Mixed
13 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 25 Critic Reviews
59
48% Positive
12 Reviews
52% Mixed
13 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
91
Annaud shot in Vietnam, creating gorgeous, often exotic images. The compelling film is a journey to another world and time, seen from a unique and peculiar perspective. [23 Nov 1992, p.D05]
By Ted Mahar FULL REVIEW
78
The Lover is one of those great films that shouldn't be missed.
FULL REVIEW
75
THE Lover is lyrical and sensuous, very pretty and strangely hollow. Deliberately hollow, I think - the flatness at the centre of this film is meant to correspond to the emptiness at the heart of its young protagonist. And the audience is supposed to fall into that void and hear its echo, feel the residual ache. Yet we don't - we're content to comprehend the theme without feeling it. Our emotions are spared, and, as a result, we watch the proceedings at a safe remove - appreciative yet detached, admiring yet unmoved. There's much to love about The Lover, but not enough to love passionately. [30 Oct 1992]
By Rick Groen FULL REVIEW
60
The Lover, a sophisticated adaptation of Marguerite Duras’ bestselling memoir about her love affair as a 15-year-old with a rich, older Chinese man, lacks the distinctive voice and ambiance of the book, but the abundant sex – soft-core and tasteful – and the splendid sets make up for the film’s banal style.
FULL REVIEW
50
Duras has reportedly disowned the film, and it's not hard to sympathize with her chagrin. By stripping away the voluptuous veneer of her language and the gauze of her memory, Annaud's adaptation has reduced her artful tale to a white woman's wet dream.
FULL REVIEW
42
With its flat acting and titillating format, The Lover is soft-core and mostly a bore. [14 May 1993, p.9]
By Steve Persall FULL REVIEW
40
Thankfully Annaud's stunning direction takes in the beautiful scenery allowing a mild diversion from the scenes of romance.
By William Thomas FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 5 User Ratings
5.0
20% Positive
1 Rating
60% Mixed
3 Ratings
20% Negative
1 Rating

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 5 User Ratings
5.0
20% Positive
1 Rating
60% Mixed
3 Ratings
20% Negative
1 Rating

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Films A2, Grai Phang Film Studio, Renn Productions, Timothy Burrill Productions
Release Date Oct 30, 1992
Duration 1 h 55 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline She gave her innocence, her passion, her body. The one thing she couldn't give was her love.
View All Details

Awards

Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
César Awards, France
• 1 Win & 6 Nominations
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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