Bonheur, Le (1965) review

Standard love triangle set-up done with a change of tone by Varda: a presumably happily married man (Jean-Claude Drouot) - who has a sweet, presumably happy wife (Claire Drouot) - has an affair with another woman (Marie-France Boyer), and is so delusional he believes he can love both his wife and his mistress equally. Instead of the histrionics and drama that usually accompany scenarios like this, Varda sets her 'conflict' in some kind of psychological fantasy land - when the husband tries explaining his 'dual love' to his wife, he thinks she's going to be just fine with it, and when she drowns herself out of hopeless grief, he's sad for a few minutes before replacing her and moving on, presumably happily ever after. The sunflowers and blissful, colorful imagery belie the strong moral undertone, as if to nudge the audience and whisper, "You do realize how truly awful this scenario and this man really are." She's saying "don't cheat" ... but in a slightly different way than most filmmakers. I get it, and I agree.