L'Important c'est d'aimer

Over the top story of l'amour fou that bears similarities with both Godards reflexivity, Fassbinders artsy and campy melodramas and De Palmas excessiveness. Romy Schneider is excellent as the actress torn between two men.

Gorgeously filmed, intense and moving Sirkian melodrama featuring some of the finest work of Zulawski, Schneider and Kinski's careers. That main theme played over and over again is SEARING. A little disjointed and overlong towards the end but the emotional performances carry it through.

So far the best Zulawski I have seen. For one, his actors seem less prone to ramble on, fall down on the floor and squirm for 5-10 min. intervals than in his other films. The plot definitely takes a backseat to what can only be termed "the Zulawski touch" (As far as touches go, one of the nastier), but it flows very well here, the acting (particularly by Schneider and Kinski) is delectable and the whole this is just perfectly... groovy.

It feels like the work of a young director still fascinated with the endless possibilities of film that its numerous camera movements, sentimental score and dramatic cliches almost makes it self-indulgent. Yet, it's ambitious and exciting enough to keep us on its side even when it loses track. Kind of halfway between Godard and De Palma, it bears the reflexivity of the former (and the music of Delerue) along with the excessiveness of the latter, and combines it into something quite interesting.

perplexing film. it reminds me of a couple of people i know who sometimes start playing these really awful mindgames like they can't help it

Muddled and directionless, with uniformly excitable but insipid characters. I found it to be barely watchable.