That of the “love triangle” is a delicate topic but remains one of the most popular in independent cinematography because, just like the latter, it allows itself the luxury of taking risks by experimenting. These are stories of moral vindication, of repressed desires and of loves too great not to be shared. The fantasy of menage a trois – which will be cinema con on April 24th Challengers, the new film by Luca Guadagnino – is a risky game, it is an emotional chaos that makes bodies sexually free but hearts defenseless, an otherworldly reality that empties the body and fills the soul with new emotions, a reality that creates addiction and which could hurt those who idealize it too much. Paradoxical as it may be, it is precisely emotional selfishness that presents itself as an antagonist in this type of relationship, where solidarity gradually disappears because love eats away at every good intention.
From left: Mike Faist, Zendaya and Josh O’Connor star in “Challengers”
Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures
Love triangles, 5 films to watch on MUBI
Taking into account five of the films that most represent the topic of shared love, it was noticed how similar the stories are to each other, how love is truly universal in all its forms and how powerless men are in the face of it, ending up giving up to the laws of the heart where rationality becomes are a distant memory, a vivid testimony of our changing and fluid time where the happy ending is just one of many possibilities. Insightful, sexy, hilarious and moving, these films are linked by betrayals, disappointments, overwhelming passions, the desire to get involved, to discover oneself, to share, to experiment but above all to love, despite everything.
- Lions Love (…and Lies)
- Les chansons d’amour
- La Collectionneuse
- Rita, Sue and Bob Too
- Passages
#1 – Lions Love (… and Lies) (1969)
Shot as if it were a documentary,”Lions Love” tells of the love triangle between three characters: Viva, an actress from Andy Warhol’s Factory, who plays a fictionalized version of herself, James Rado, who plays Jim, and Gerome Ragni, who plays Gerry. The three spend their days making love, relaxing and having fun in their apartment overlooking idyllic 1960s Hollywood. The film’s plot structure is poor, the scenes are improvised, the love is free and the entertainment is lighthearted and hedonistic. While focusing their relationship on the love triangle in which they are protagonists, the three of them do not lack discussions on politics, religion and art, themes that form the backdrop to the chaos of the political and social scene of the 1960s – such as the murder of Robert F Kennedy which the protagonists witness live on TV or the newspaper headline announcing the death of Andy Warhol -.
One day the (real) director Shirley Clarke arrives at the three’s house as a guest, with the intention of shooting a documentary on these characters to explore their sexual habits without interfering in their dynamics in a voyeuristic way. We can consider this film as a time capsule of events and moods, an extremely detailed diary on Hollywood superficiality that hides serious social and political problems behind the sequins. Don’t forget that “Lions Love” is a film by Agnes Varda – godfather director of the Nouvelle Vague – and that consequently, despite the drama of the events, satire is not lacking. This film is funny but sharp and stinging. It is absolutely a must-see for fans of Varda and the French New Wave.
