As a young filmmaker, director Eric Rohmer conceived of a cycle of six contes moraux - six "moral tales" that illustrated quiet conundrums of human behavior. In this, the second (and rarely seen) film in the cycle, Rohmer mines some of the same territory his Cahiers Du Cinema compatriot Jean Luc Godard touched on later in Masculin/Féminin (1966): the unwitting carelessness young people inflict upon each other as they negotiate their way into adult lives. Here, meek Bertrand (Philippe Beuzen) and crass Guillaume (Christian Charriére) are both smitten, in their own way, with the independent, enigmatic, and exquisite Suzanne (Catherine Sée ). Rohmer was deeply influenced by Murnau and the similar moral choices explored in movies like Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927). But his less definite ethical stance on the behavior of his characters here is easier to understand while reflecting how the French word "moraliste" doesn't share the English meaning of pronouncing ethical judgements -- rather, it's a fascination with how humans privately wrestle with the world, a fascination Rohmer would continue to explore in later films like Claire's Knee (1970) and Chloe In The Afternoon (1972).

By Violet LeVoit