Cannes 2025: Love Letters
2025 Cannes Film Festival
In 2013, France passed Law 2013-404, more colloquially known as the Taubira law, which legally allows same-sex couples to marry and jointly adopt children. As the law was passed, as heard in the opening of Alice Douard's Love Letters, chants for equality were heard as this tremendous step towards LGBTQ+ freedom was made. Screening as part of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Love Letters takes place just after this event, as lesbian couple Céline (Ella Rumpf) and Nadia (Monia Chokri) prepare for the birth of their child. While Nadia is the one who will give birth, making her the legal mother of the child, Céline's role is more complex. Through the complex system adopted by France, at the time of birth Céline will have no legal ties to the baby and will have to go through months of process, proving her ties to Nadia to allow her the opportunity to actually become a legal guardian to the child and seen as a parent in the legal eye.
While much of the world is threatening to backpedal on the progress made for LGBTQ+ acceptance and LGBTQ+ rights, Douard's feature is a needed look at the continued injustices and problems found within the current legal system, even when the headlines are promoting a story of progress and celebration. The concept of layered and internal homophobia and inequity within a governmental system is one that, for many, feels conceptual and distant. The truth is, outside of the LGBTQ+ individuals who find themselves in the specific situation of Céline and Nadia, this absurd side of the governmental process is one that will remain hidden. From having to find 15 individuals close to them who will write a statement of Céline's desire for a child, a letter that must hold up to the scrutiny of the courts with the threat of jailtime if something is found to be incorrect or inconsistent, to the forcing of the child to take Nadia's maiden name even thought Nadia has legally changed her name and received a new id, this is not a simplistic or cheap process and is one that creates a year of scrutiny and work to simply have this family be recognized as one.
Douard not only does a great job at highlighting this program, but also focuses on it through a lens of humanity and empathy. Both the film's screenplay by Douard and the performance from Rumpf do an excellent job at building the core emotions of the character. The audience is forced to sit with her as she reckons with her place as an invisible party, legally speaking, and see how far this process pushes her. If she wants to be recognized as the mother to this child, she has no luxury of privacy as she is forced to ask her family and friends for their support, including telling her mother. She is pushed with the expectations of being a mother, of being present and there for her family, but also has this unseen pressure and struggle. Rumpf is flawless as she dances with this turmoil, bringing her character to life through every twist and turn.
The filmmaking itself is often dynamic and energetic. The film successfully uses blasts of music and emotion to escape any threat of becoming melodramatic and speak to the human experience more vibrantly. While there is this hardship, the relationship on screen is still one filled with love. While humans can feel sad and angry, they still find ways to smile and dance. Highlighting these moments gives the entire picture a more vibrant texture and realism, helping the audience connect even deeper. This is a human story with real humans at its center, breaking down walls and creating an experience that speaks universally. The one area where things begin to run somewhat dry is in the film's second half. While never terribly boring or bad, the film can feel repetitive at times as it reinforces itself. For a film with an already brief 96-minute runtime, Love Letters does end up dragging and feeling longer than it really should.
Love Letters is an emotionally moving and poignant feature that succeeds in everything it attempts. From a nuanced perspective to fantastic performances, the film is an important and empathetic statement that pushes past the headlines to reveal the unique nuances tied to the modern LGBTQ+ experience and the hardships that can be faced. Films like this are more needed now than ever.
