Week 3: Je T’aime Moi Non Plus (DCP)

Dir. Serge Gainsbourg (1976); France, 89m

Starring: Jane Birkin, Joe Dallesandro, Hugues Quester

Programmed by: Genevieve Hunsaker

Friday, October 15th at 7:00PM & 9:30PM
Saturday, October 16th at 7:00PM & 9:30PM
Sunday, October 17th at 3:00PM

Written, directed, and scored by legendary French chanteur Serge Gainsbourg, Je T’aime Moi Non Plus (I Love You, I Don’t) depicts an unorthodox love story. It stars Jane Birkin, then Gainsbourg’s partner and perhaps muse, as Johnny, an androgynous truckstop café waitress who is love-starved. One day, she falls for the trucker Krassky, though she is told he is gay and has a lover. Because of her boyish looks and charm, Krassky also finds himself attracted to Johnny, beginning a whirlwind romance that culminates in a jealous attack from Krassky male lover. 

Je T’aime Moi Non Plus shares its title with the controversial 1969 song by Gainsbourg that also features Birkin. The song was banned in several places for its unabashed eroticism, and this film is no different. Through the medium of film, Gainsbourg continues to explore many of the themes of his career, such as the limits of physical passion, complicated relationships, and stark eroticism.