Mi Iubita Mon Amour (Romanian and French for "my beloved") is a 2021 French romantic drama film directed by, co-written by, and starring Noémie Merlant.
Plot
Jeanne is a fiancée on a bachelorette trip with friends in Romania. After their car gets stolen, they are taken in by the family of Nino, a Romani 17-year-old who finds a connection with Jeanne and joins them on their way to the beach.
Cast
Gimi-Nicole Covaci – Nino
Noémie Merlant – Jeanne
Sanda Codreanu – Katia
Clara Lama-Schmit – Lola
Alexia Lefaix – Helena
Kita Covaci – Nino's mother
Jean Covaci – Nino's father
Giani Covaci – Nino's brother
Wallerand Denormandie – Victor, Jeanne's fiancé
Covaci's real-life family played his character's family.
Production
Mi Iubita Mon Amour was Noémie Merlant's feature film directorial debut. The film came about on the "spur of the moment" during a visit to Romania by Merlant, Gimi-Nicolae Novaci, and other cast members—Merlant's close friends—in the summer of 2020. It was co-written by Merlant and Novaci, who had previously appeared in Merlant's short film Shakira (2019). A small crew worked on the low-budget shoot over two weeks. Merlant said that the script "left room" for improvisation.
Release
Mi Iubita Mon Amour premiered on 13 July 2021 in Special Screenings at the Cannes Film Festival.
Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 57% based on seven reviews. The Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw described the film's dialogue scenes as "very watchable", but thought the ending was unsatisfying. A critic for Screen Daily credited the film for its "sure-footed handling of tangled emotional issues", though an IndieWire editor found Merlant "unwilling to grapple with the uncomfortable questions her story asks" regarding the relationship of Nino and Jeanne.