3H

Have you ever seen those postings about “Missed Connections”? A moment where two people had some sort of spark, but circumstances prevented them from being able to take advantage of the moment? Sometimes they are commuters on a subway, or sometimes they are at the same party, but the posting always ends the same – time and fate stepped in and prevented them from exploring how deep their connection might go.

Well what if one of these “missed connections” turned into a family affair?

THREE HEARTS begins as the story of Marc and Sylvie (Benoît Poelvoorde and Charlotte Gainsbourg). One night in a small French town, Marc misses the last train home and meets Sylvie while wandering and trying to figure out what to do with himself. The two strike-up an easy chemistry, something that might even be considered love-at-first-sight. However, before they can exchange emails or phone numbers there’s a hitch. Their plan to meet at a public garden in Paris at a certain time and place is thwarted by a medical emergency. The two don’t reconnect: Marc goes on with his life as an accountant, Sylvie goes back to her husband who she was preparing to leave.

Turns out fate has other ideas for Marc, and fate itself throws Sophie (Chiara Mastroianni) into his life. She is charming, loving, easy-going, and she too strikes up a tender chemistry with Marc. This time, there are no “missed connections” Marc and Sophie fall deeply in love and begin a life together.

The hitch – unbeknownst for quite some time to Marc – is that Sophie is Sylvie’s sister.

THREE HEARTS is unashamedly melodramatic. While the first two acts are all about the beginning of two different relationships and the way the second one finds purchase in its soil, the final act is all about obsession running off the rails. As if to underline it, many of the highly dramatic moments are underscored with music that makes you think a gigantic shark is about to pop out of the water. In a way, it’s rather apropos since we spend a long time waiting for the bomb to drop. It takes quite some time for Marc to realize the truth of the situation, and then a little while longer for Sylvie to clue-in. What in the world will happen in this film when Sophie puts it together?

The craziness in the final act may put some off, but many ways it’s befitting the situation. After all, how is one supposed to handle getting chest-deep into a relationship and then discovering that he has a history with his love’s sibling? the only thing worse might be discovering he had a thing with his love’s mother (oh, did I mention Chloe’s mother is played by Catherine Deneuve?). So the “dun-dun-duuuhhhh!” that wraps itself around THREE HEARTS’ wild conclusion is actually rather apropos…if it ever is apropos.