The meteoric Bercot brings to mind, variously, Isabelle Huppert, Michelle Williams, and Toni Collette. And Cassel has the greatest head in cinema next to that of Javier Bardem. But not even they can make this miserable marriage work.

Love is blind, but the audience isn't, and why these future contestants on The Jerry Springer Show stay together is anyone's guess, particularly Mawenn's.

The central couple's ups and downs may grow tiresome, but the characters, powerfully realized by Emmanuelle Bercot and an especially riveting Vincent Cassel, never do.

Although it is not the first time that the disagreements between a heterosexual couple are captured on screen, Mon Roi's approach is original, it shows how simplicity can still surprise, as well as the twists and turns of life.