Friendship is at a premium in Three Friends (Trois Amies), an engaging chamber piece set in the pleasant environs of Lyon from actor-turned-director Emmanuel Mouret (Lady J). The film premiered at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival and opened Film at Lincoln Center’s annual Rendez-Vous with French Cinema series on March 6.

In their quest for fulfillment, three forty-something friends embody differing views on romance. Joan (India Hair, Camille Rewinds) is ready to give up on her marriage after the passion has faded. She confides in Alice (Camille Cottin, Call My Agent!), who counters that her own marriage is better off without fervor, believing, “Synchronized love is rare.” To avoid the drama of heartache, she’s content with mere affection. Meanwhile, their unmarried friend Rebecca (Sara Forestier, The Names of Love) is secretly having an affair with Alice’s husband and hoping for a deeper commitment. She keeps her lover’s identity hidden from her friends, all while benefiting from the unknowing Alice’s candid insights.

In this ensemble of teachers and artists, all three actresses shine—especially the beleaguered Hair as Joan—and easily overshadow the men, whose roles are comparatively thin. Their camaraderie endures amid swirling romantic complications.

Mouret regular Vincent Macaigne plays Victor, Joan’s clingy husband, who can’t accept her change of heart. He serves as a narrative anchor, providing a voice-over that continues even after his death. Observing from beyond the grave, Victor watches his grieving widow raise their child and navigate new relationships, though Joan remains paralyzed by guilt. Eventually, she befriends Thomas (Damien Bonnard), a colleague whose daughter is the same age as Joan’s. The girls dream of becoming a family, but Joan senses that something is missing.

Ironically, Alice’s husband, Eric (Grégoire Ludig), is indifferent to their marriage, despite her belief that he’s still crazy about her. Their mutual detachment might not matter, however, because, in a supernatural twist, a phone number revealed in a dream offers Alice the chance at an affair of her own.

Characters occasionally watch classic films that mirror their struggles—stories of perseverance despite setbacks. For the film’s Venice premiere, Mouret explained, “I like characters who make mistakes, start over, but continue making mistakes, like Buster Keaton when he falls and gets back up, one fall after another, over and over again, but who keep going without looking back, without blaming anyone.”

Despite its nearly two-hour runtime, the film maintains a breezy atmosphere, thanks to Mouret’s sharp screenplay, co-written with Carmen Leroi, and his perceptive handling of naturalistic conversations. There are enough twists to keep the narrative from feeling like standard rom-com fare. The film’s setting—lived-in apartments and understated wardrobes (designed by Mouret’s sister, Bénédicte Mouret-Cherqui)—feels authentic rather than aspirational. Unflashy cinematography and a modest keyboard score keep the focus on the actors, Mouret’s true strength.

With more than a dozen features focused on relationships, Mouret is often compared to Woody Allen and Mia Hansen-Løve (both owe a debt to Éric Rohmer). Though he may not have their level of sophistication, and remains relatively unknown in the United States, he is beloved in France, where his reputation continues to grow—his Love Affair(s) earned 13 César nominations in 2021. He is clearly a writer-director to watch.