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The Lover

Play trailer Poster for The Lover R Released Oct 30, 1992 1h 43m Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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28% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Set in 1920s colonial Indochina, a pretty, virginal French teenager (Jane March) meets a handsome Chinese playboy (Tony Leung Ka Fai) from a respectable family. Going against the conventions of their respective societies, the lustful pair begin a torrid affair in a seedy Saigon neighborhood. Their strong attraction towards one another is only intensified by the illicit nature of their rendezvous. Given such circumstances, can their relationship last?
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The Lover

Critics Reviews

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Ted Shen Chicago Reader By stripping away the voluptuous veneer of her language and the gauze of her memory, Annaud’s adaptation has reduced her artful tale... Rated: 2/4 May 26, 2022 Full Review David Ansen Newsweek The Lover's rarefied sensibility takes getting used to; once its spell is cast, you won't want to blink. Feb 8, 2018 Full Review Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times Undercut by an air of self-congratulatory pomposity that the film is way too insubstantial to support. Feb 1, 2018 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy An ofttimes emotionally sterile film. Rated: 2.5/4 Feb 27, 2022 Full Review Bill Chambers Film Freak Central Although I've watched too much grindhouse sleaze to take offense at The Lover, it's the poster child for the kind of tony trash that used to get intellectuals on its side by provoking the censors... Rated: 2/4 Feb 23, 2022 Full Review Malcolm Johnson Hartford Courant The most fascinating character in JeanJacques Annaud's film of the novel by Marguerite Duras is Vietnam, long before the terrible and futile war. May 25, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Matthew D How did these two come together? Why? What do they have in common besides sex? Anything? Does this movie care? If not, why should we? There are actually pornos that have explored these themes better. No kidding. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/25 Full Review Hans S Some movies or stories can hardly turn old ... Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/17/24 Full Review Jennifer E I saw this movie at 22 years old and still think about it at 52 years old. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/03/23 Full Review Dom If you're into history and you just happen to decide on whether you want to watch "Cinema Paradiso" or "The Lover" 1992 film, watch "Cinema Paradiso" first, particularly for cinema nostalgia enthusiasts for the "Golden Age of Hollywood" from a place that is far away from that as Italy. A lot of "The Lover" is a sadist's wet dream, the protagonist's family is abusive and very dislikable and the protagonist is more of a cardboard cut-out rather than a character you can sympathize with. Everyone in "Cinema Paradiso" is much more likable in comparison and the plot points are actually emotionally well-conveyed. I personally prefer the director's cut of "Cinema Paradiso". There were scenes in both films that made me cry (both in "The Lover" and director's cut version of "Cinema Paradiso"), which is a rare thing for me. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member The Lover follows a story of great sadness. A story ever expressed through the form of cinema. A girl who can not love the man she wants due to familiar pressure. A tale told time-and-time again but to a greater, stronger and bigger intent than ever before. The lover will leave you, the audience; spellbounded. Unable to comprehend what love is. Why human interaction is what it is. Why can't love... just be love? Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member the whole movie was essentially child molesting and abuse. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Lover

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The Lover

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Movie Info

Synopsis Set in 1920s colonial Indochina, a pretty, virginal French teenager (Jane March) meets a handsome Chinese playboy (Tony Leung Ka Fai) from a respectable family. Going against the conventions of their respective societies, the lustful pair begin a torrid affair in a seedy Saigon neighborhood. Their strong attraction towards one another is only intensified by the illicit nature of their rendezvous. Given such circumstances, can their relationship last?
Director
Jean-Jacques Annaud
Producer
Claude Berri
Screenwriter
Jean-Jacques Annaud, Gérard Brach
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Rating
R
Genre
Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 30, 1992, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Runtime
1h 43m
Sound Mix
Surround
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