Cast: Virginie Ledoyen as Maria	Yazid Ait as Karim
Stomy Bugsy as Manu	Mar Sodupe as Linda
	Director: Jean-Francois Richet

The misleading title of this film suggests something romantic. This tale of love is anything but. It is a pretty unromantic look at the more dismal side. Maria (Virginie Ledoyen) lives with her decent parents and has a nice best friend Linda (Mar Sodupe). She also has a pretty good boyfriend Karim (Yazid Aitz) and an attitude of entitlement. She believes that she will get her own way in any situation. This abruptly turns upside down when she is caught red-handed shoplifting some lingerie from a local store. She stubbornly refuses to admit the theft and is taken to the police station.

Maria lives in a working class area and is part of the diverse racial and ethnic mix. She has kept her relationship with Karim from her parents because she thinks they will not approve. She also likes to live a bit recklessly and it is more fun. She does not worry too much about this just as she generally does not worry too much about the consequences of what she does. She is carefree and having fun until she learns she is pregnant and senses that Karim will not be happy about it. He is earning a decent wage and trying to succeed, despite the tensions that simmer in the hood regarding recent immigrants.

In jail, she runs into a good cop and a very bad cop whose perversity is so extreme his credibility is a bit strained. Despite the somewhat overdrawn nature of the bad cop, the impact is not lessened as Maria suffers the degradation of imprisonment. The good cop is a neighbor who helps to obtain her release. But in true to life fashion, this does not happen according to the book. Maria grows up fast facing the double whammy of her unwanted pregnancy and then landing in jail because she is so headstrong. She quickly and tragically loses her audacity.

When Karim succeeds in getting her out of jail, both he and Maria are bent on revenge. The ensuing encounter with the bad cop is a powerful comment on the tough choices that they face. Filmmaker Jean-Francois Richet does a very credible job of revealing the complexities of both the characters and the social conditions. This is also a wonderful performance by Ledoyen.