Simple Passion

Simple Passion is a French and Belgian drama about Hélène, a literature lecturer at a Paris university, and Alexandre, a Russian diplomat posted to the city. The two begin a relationship that is largely physical and one-sided: he is younger than her, married, and emotionally distant. What starts as an affair becomes an obsession for Hélène, who is divorced and raising a son. The film traces the course of their involvement in and around Paris over several months.

Danielle Arbid directed, working from a screenplay based on Annie Ernaux's autobiographical novel. Laetitia Dosch plays Hélène, with Sergei Polunin as Alexandre. The supporting cast includes Lou-Teymour Thion, Caroline Ducey, Grégoire Colin and Slimane Dazi. David Thion produced; the production involved Versus Production and Les Films Pelléas, among other companies.

Simple Passion was released in January 2021 and runs 99 minutes. It appeared as the first of two features in the chronological list of Arbid's directing work, ahead of Only Rebels Win. Ratings are mixed but not sharply divided. On IMDb it holds 5.4 out of 10 from roughly 1,500 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 5.8 from 122 ratings. A critics' rating of 6.6 from 27 reviews places professional assessment slightly above the audience scores on both platforms. The counts suggest a modest-sized viewership rather than a wide one.