Un monde sans pitié (1989)

A disillusioned man in his thirties, Hippo builds his life around his love for the ideal woman and his popular, activist ideals. In the early 1990s, he belongs to the post-May ’68 generation, which watches hopelessly as France declines under the weight of economic and social crisis—a world in which love may be the only life-saving adventure left. He lives from day to day, meeting his basic needs while accumulating disappointments and suffering numerous blows to his self-esteem. He looks after his brother Xavier, a high-school student who supports him by dealing cannabis, and brings some excitement to his life by inviting his friends over for parties in their large Paris apartment. Resistant to any kind of change and a womanizer, he nevertheless falls in love with Nathalie Rozen, a student at the École normale supérieure who intellectualizes her existence. The clash between their two ways of life is what makes their encounter compelling, and reveals Hippo’s inability to share his feelings, fears, and hopes. Halpern, his careless and deeply disillusioned alter ego, shares his sincere moments, but reflects back a negative image of him that leaves him trapped in his anxieties.