La Collectionneuse Eric Rohmer Patched | 2027 |
After finally consummating his relationship with Haydée (or rather, after finally stopping his verbal acrobatics long enough to fall into bed with her), Adrien achieves a kind of peace. He tells us, in voiceover, that he is cured. He has conquered his obsession. He is free.
The Paradox of Possession: Aesthetic Detachment and Moral Ambiguity in Éric Rohmer’s La Collectionneuse
Spoilers follow, but to discuss La Collectionneuse is to discuss its final, brilliant irony. la collectionneuse eric rohmer
More than fifty years later, La Collectionneuse feels startlingly contemporary. In an era of “situationships” and endless discourse about dating dynamics, Rohmer’s film is a prophetic look at the weaponization of therapy-speak. Adrien is the original “nice guy”—the man who cloaks his desire in moral judgment, who calls a woman “easy” because he is too scared to tell her he likes her.
To understand La Collectionneuse , one must understand Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales (1963-1972). The “moral” here does not mean didactic or preachy. In Rohmer’s lexicon, a “moral tale” is a story about a man who thinks he is in complete control of his desires. He has a principle, a rule, or a belief system. Then, he meets a woman who threatens that system. He spends the entire film rationalizing, philosophizing, and ultimately finding a way to return to his original “morality” without admitting he was ever tempted. After finally consummating his relationship with Haydée (or
Adrien (played with perfect, grating vanity by Patrick Bauchau) is the quintessential Rohmer hero. He is leaving Paris to find peace and quiet to “do nothing.” He claims to have transcended superficial desire. He is interested in ideas, in aesthetics, in the sale of African art. He looks down on the hedonistic chaos of the Côte d’Azur. When he meets Haydée (Haydée Politoff, luminous and impenetrable), his entire system collapses. He cannot categorize her, and that terrifies him.
This is where the film’s title gains its double meaning. While Haydée is called "the collector" because she collects men, the film reveals He is free
In contrast, Adrien is the one who ends up in a gray, cold London, clutching his artwork. He has won the moral argument. He has lost the summer. He has slept with the girl but refused to enjoy it. He has sacrificed joy on the altar of his own ego.
Adrien is one of Rohmer’s most fascinating male protagonists. He is a man who believes he is in control. In his voice-over, he constantly analyzes his attraction to Haydée, dismissing it as a triviality, a game he can pick up and put down at will. He views himself as a collector of experiences, much like he is a collector of art. He believes he can possess Haydée without being possessed by her.
