La Chamade (1969)

A beautiful young girl (Catherine Deneuve) is the mistress of a wealthy older man (Michel Piccoli). But when she meets a young man (Roger Van Hool) closer to her own age, she leaves her lover. But her lifestyle clashes with the young man's values. She has no desire to work, has no ambition, no goal in life but to love and be loved. Based on the novel by Francoise Sagan (BONJOUR TRISTESSE) and directed by Alain Cavalier. What is one to make of Sagan's heroine? On one hand, one can look at her as an egoist, as shallow, only concerned with being loved totally. On the other hand, she's true to her values (even though we may not share them) and refuses to change to please others. The rich older man accepts her for what she is and doesn't want to change her while the young lover doesn't understand her needs and wants a more conventional life for them. Cavalier's film ideally captures the feel of a Sagan novel something other film adaptations have struggled with (A CERTAIN SMILE, GOODBYE AGAIN). Looking almost inhumanly beautiful, one can forgive Deneuve's character anything. As the film points out, she may be all alone when she's old and her looks have deserted her but it's her life and she'll accept the consequences. With Irene Tunc (the film's most sympathetic character) and Jacques Sereys.