The Girl, directed by Sande Zeig, is a film noir narrated by Laura (played by Agathe de la Boulaye), with more cinematography, music, lovemaking, and voiceovers than dialog. Laura is taking art lessons in Paris in the mornings. In the afternoons, she walks quietly along the Seine. In the evenings, she goes to a nightclub, where she has fallen in love with The Girl (played by Claire Keim), who sings in the club. Laura has a masculine presence, though much smoother in appearance that Teena Brandon, while The Girl wears lipstick and goes to bed with a lot of men. Laura notices that The Girl is interested in sex to release tension, not to develop a relationship. But Laura also has a longtime girlfriend, Bu Savé (played by Sandra N’Kake), and Laura relieves her tension by having sex with her. The Girl’s tension involves The Man (played by Cyril Lecomte), the nightclub proprietor and former suitor, who is displeased to see Laura and The Girl kissing in public and retiring to the bedroom on numerous occasions. At times The Girl rejects Laura, but at other times they make love. Ultimately, The Man has the nightclub’s bouncer (played by Cyrille Hertel) get rough with Laura. Next, the Girl disappears from Paris, presumably with The Man, so Laura sublimates by painting; she tries to put The Girl on canvas if she cannot have her in the flesh. Laura also performs a vigil outside The Girl’s hotel during her absence. One day The Girl returns. Standing outside the hotel, Laura hears gunshot sounds. She goes to investigate and finds The Man lying dead and The Girl able to say a few last words. Although Sande Zeig’s vision of the film is that love means freedom, those who crave love obsessively in the film are clearly in chains. MH