Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Olivier Assayas, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven and Alfonso Cuaron are among the 20 distinguished directors who contribute to this collection of 18 stories, each exploring a different aspect of Parisian life. The colourful characters in this drama include a pair of mimes, a husband trying to choose between his wife and his lover, and a married man who turns to a prostitute for advice.
Paris Je T'aime is a lovingly assembled anthology of 18 short films from 20 directors, each set in a different arrondissement of Paris. Its greatest strength is cinematography — the city is captured with remarkable variety and beauty, each segment finding its own visual identity while celebrating Paris as a subject. The anthology format itself was not entirely novel by 2006, but the scale and ambition of the collaboration give it a distinctive flavour. Acting quality is uneven across segments, as expected with such a large ensemble of international talent — some vignettes shine (particularly the Wes Craven and Alexander Payne segments) while others feel slight. The plot across the anthology is episodic by design, with some stories resonating deeply and others feeling underdeveloped in their short runtime. The ending — the final Alexander Payne segment featuring a middle-aged American tourist — is widely considered one of the strongest and provides an emotionally resonant close to the collection, elevating the overall experience.