The agony and ecstasy of unrequited love are captured in this ultracool yet superficial ménage à trois tale from 22-year-old Canadian actor/film-maker Xavier Dolan. Mixing French New Wave aesthetics with youthful pretensions and genuine technical flair, his witty drama evokes François Truffaut's Jules et Jim, as a pair of inseparable Montreal hipsters (Dolan himself and the Anna Karina-like Monia Chokri) tear apart their friendship after becoming infatuated with Niels Schneider's inscrutable Adonis. Chic, slo-mo heavy visuals à la Wong Kar-Wai and an atmospheric, retro soundtrack fetishise the small details of the pair's deliciously narcissistic journey, taking sensual, though clichéd, pleasure in everything from cigarette smoke to the sway of Chokri's vintage-clad hips. Along the way, intercut talking heads share their own, amusing remembrances of obsessive romance, while providing a documentary-type contrast to the highly stylised main narrative. Ultimately, Dolan's image-led central characters and their shallow, bitchy concerns won't appeal to everyone, but those who've experienced l'amour fou themselves will find plenty to enjoy.

Francis is a young gay man, Marie is a young straight woman and the two of them are best friends -- until the day the gorgeous Nicolas walks into a Montreal coffee shop. The two friends, instantly and equally infatuated, compete for Nicolas' indeterminate affections, a conflict that climaxes when the trio visit the vacation home of Nicolas' mother. The frothy comedy unfolds through narrative, fantasy sequences and confessional monologues.