Dir. Serge Bozon, 2022, France, Belgium, 100 min, DCP, color
Music by Benjamin Esdraffo, Mehdi Zannad, Laurent Talon
With Tahar Rahim, Virginie Efira
In French with English subtitles

Jilted on his wedding day, Laurent (Tahar Rahim), an actor who happens to be currently employed in the role of Don Juan, sees his ex-fiancée (Virginie Efira) in every woman he meets. In an attempt to mend his broken heart, he tries to seduce them but none are receptive to his elaborate (and musical) advances. Meanwhile, back at his theater job, the leading lady quits and the production brings in Laurent’s ex-fiancée as the replacement.

“A dream-team casting of Tahar Rahim and Virginie Efira adds gravitas and commercial luster to Serge Bozon’s melancholy, offbeat interpretation of Don Juan. Musical numbers provide heartfelt commentary along the way. Don Juan is a serious, coherent work that feels like a #MeToo era response to Molière or a clever contemporary twist on Francois Truffaut’s 1977 film The Man Who Loved Women.” – Allan Hunter, Screen