Rating: R | Runtime: 120 minutes
Release Date: June 21st, 2006 (France) / May 4th, 2007 (USA)
Studio: La Fabrique de Films / First Look International
Director(s): Olivier Assayas (“Quartier des Enfants Rouges”), Frédéric Auburtin (“Quartier Latin”), Gurinder Chadha (“Quais de Seine”), Sylvain Chomet (“Tour Eiffel”), Ethan Coen & Joel Coen (“Tuileries”), Isabel Coixet (“Bastille”), Wes Craven (“Pere-Lachaise”), Alfonso Cuarón (“Parc Monceau”), Gérard Depardieu (“Quartier Latin”), Christopher Doyle (“Porte de Choisy”), Richard LaGravenese (“Pigalle”), Vincenzo Natali (“Quartier de la Madeleine”), Alexander Payne (“14e arrondissement”), Bruno Podalydès (“Montmartre”), Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas (“Loin du 16e”), Oliver Schmitz (“Place des Fetes”), Nobuhiro Suwa (“Place des Victoires”), Tom Tykwer (“Faubourg Saint-Denis”), Gus Van Sant (“Le Marais”)
Writer(s): Emmanuel Benbihy (concept) / Tristan Carné (original idea) / Bruno Podalydès (“Montmartre”), Paul Mayeda Berges & Gurinder Chadha (“Quais de Seine”), Gus Van Sant (“Le Marais”), Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (“Tuileries”), Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas (“Loin du 16e”), Christopher Doyle, Gabrielle Keng & Rain Li (“Porte de Choisy”), Isabel Coixet (“Bastille”), Nobuhiro Suwa (“Place des Victoires”), Sylvain Chomet (“Tour Eiffel”), Alfonso Cuarón (“Parc Monceau”), Olivier Assayas (“Quartier des Enfants Rouges”), Oliver Schmitz (“Place des Fetes”), Richard LaGravenese (“Pigalle”), Vincenzo Natali (“Quartier de la Madeleine”), Wes Craven (“Pere-Lachaise”), Tom Tykwer (“Faubourg Saint-Denis”), Gena Rowlands (“Quartier Latin”), Nadine Eïd & Alexander Payne (“14e arrondissement”) / Frédéric Auburtin, Jean-Pierre Ronssin, Jane Hawksley & Vincent Poymiro (transitions)

You were not the ball and chain. You were the zeppelin.

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of the short film anthology Paris, je t’aime for a long time. Upon hearing about the project, I hoped for something amazing with such enormous talent attached. To my disappointment, however, an American release date remained elusive. Despite a limited release finally being announced (with no guarantee Buffalo is included), I couldn’t wait any longer and purchased the special edition Region 3 disc instead.

Thankfully, my hopes were confirmed as this is a gorgeous work of art to behold—visually, lyrically, emotionally, and intellectually beautiful. It simultaneously feeds my desire to visit Paris sometime in the near future while also feeling like I have been there already.

Films of this nature oftentimes come across as a mixed bag of great work alongside slight drivel to fill the runtime. Whether it’s the big name support or the project itself, Paris, je t’aime never falls into that trap. Always intriguing and meaningful, even the lesser pieces become integral to the overall work. I believe I can truly say that the movie as a whole is better than its parts.

Between the wonderful transitions and the fantastic ending sequence merging characters together in one last view of Parisian love, I think the film would suffer if any single cog removed. True, there are definitely a few standouts that overshadow the rest, but I have a lasting image—even if just a split second—of each vignette. Love takes many forms and the talent here rises to the occasion to surprise and move their audience through the poetry and elegance of every facet of emotion.

Here are some thoughts all eighteen entries, (alphabetical by director):

Quartier des Enfants Rouges: Maggie Gyllenhaal surprises as a drug-addled actress shooting in Paris and meeting her dealer. The reveal at its conclusion leaves you a bit off-balance as the infatuation between the two changes hands.

Quartier Latin: Ben Gazzara and Gena Rowlands deliver sharp wit and sarcasm as they meet to discuss their impending divorce. What of their conversation is true and what is just to piss the other off? Who knows? It’s all enjoyable and leaves a smile on your face.

Quais de Seine: Director Gurinder Chadha gives us a touching portrait of love beyond religious and racial differences. It’s a sweet story of shy love between two people obviously feeling a connection, but unable to quite vocalize it.

Tour Eiffel: While admittedly disappointed Sylvain Chomet didn’t get an animated sequence together, this live action tale of mimes falling in love at a Paris jail has the same quirky flair as his feature Les Triplettes de Belleville.

Tuileries: The Coen Brothers stick to their strange sense of humor and deliver some fine laughs. Steve Buscemi shines and sells his performance without speaking a word. His facial reactions to the verbal abuse of a disgruntled Frenchman are priceless.

Bastille: Here’s a heartbreaking portrait of a couple growing out of love only to have it come back in the face of tragedy. Sergio Castellitto and Miranda Richardson are moving as the couple dealing with trouble and finding how strong the bond of true love is.

Pére-Lachaise: A surprisingly funny little tale from horror master Wes Craven. A little Oscar Wilde humor can add levity to any relationship.

Parc Monceau: Alfonso Cuarón looks to be practicing the amazing long-takes he perfects in Children of Men with this tale of two people in love walking down the street. As Nick Nolte and Ludivine Sagnier eventually come into close-up view, we also find the true context of their conversation about “forbidden love.”

Porte de Choisy: A very surreal look into the glamour of Paris. This is probably the oddest entry, but still intriguing enough to not look away from the craziness that ensues. Do not anger your Asian beautician.

Pigalle: An interesting look at a relationship undergoing a role-play that seems to have been stagnant for years. A little variety from Bob Hoskins is necessary to keep the fire kindled.

Quartier de la Madeleine: Even vampires in Paris can find love amongst the feeding hours. I don’t know whether to be happy for Elijah Wood as a result or not. Beautifully shot and muted to allow the vibrancy of the red blood, this short is strange … but so is love.

14th arrondissement: Leave it to Alexander Payne’s odd sense of humor to really add some depth to this story told in voiceover by an American in Paris to find what love is. Her harsh, uneducated French is a very stark contrast to the authentic accents we’ve been listening to until this point. It’s just off-kilter enough to be both funny and totally true to the story.

Montmartre: An interesting introduction into the proceedings. Paris can be a city reviled for everyday activities like finding a parking spot, yet it will take its prisoner anywhere to continue the journey once love is discovered.

Loin du 16éme: Catalina Sandino Moreno brilliantly shows what love for a child is through her subtle performance as the tale is bookended by her singing to a young child—yet totally different each time.

Place des Fetes: My favorite of the bunch. Seydou Boro and Aïssa Maïga are simply fantastic. The cyclical nature of the story and how fate brings them together twice for Boro to finally ask Maïga for coffee is tough to watch. Sometimes love in your final moment is enough to accept leaving this earth.

Place des Victoires: Another of my favorites that’s about a mother trying to cope with the death of her young son. Juliette Binoche is devastating as the former, desperate for one last glimpse of her son. And Willem Dafoe is oddly perfect as the cowboy who gives her that chance.

Faubourg Saint-Denis: Sometimes one needs to think they’ve lost love to accept that they haven’t been fully invested in it. Melchior Beslon reminisces, trying to find where they went wrong through a series of sharp, quick cuts from his meeting Natalie Portman to eventually “seeing” how much he needs her.

Le Marais: Leave it to Gus Van Sant to show us a story about the gap in communication and understanding since his films almost always deal with some form of alienation. His photographer from Elephant is an American working in Paris who proves the catalyst for Gaspard Ulliel’s artist’s ramblings on love and soulmates. Sometimes one doesn’t need to know what is being said to understand what is going on during the pauses.

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Natalie Portman star as Francine in Paris, je t’aime. (segment ‘Faubourg Saint-Denis’)