The Mother and the Whore 1973

In the city of love and existential crisis, Alexandre (unemployed and perhaps a would-be intellectual) drifts aimlessly through life in Paris, fixated on expounding philosophical grandeur to anyone who will listen. His days are filled with monologues on politics, art, and cinema, showcasing his opinions on films like The Working Class Goes to Heaven, as well as nostalgic reminiscences about the tumultuous Mai 68 protests. Sharing a life with his partner Marie (who works at a dress store), Alexandre’s apathy is met with an angry outpouring of emotions from Marie, masking her deep affection for him.

When Alexandre attempts to persuade his ex-girlfriend Gilberte to marry him, she instead chooses another suitor, leaving Alexandre to wander the streets in search of solace. It is at the iconic Les Deux Magots café that he meets Veronika (a Polish-French anesthesia nurse living at Necker Hospital), a liberated woman with a penchant for promiscuity. Despite his initial hesitation, Alexandre finds himself swept up in her advances and eventually succumbs to their seductive charm.

As Marie grows increasingly aware of Alexandre’s infidelity, her ire towards him intensifies, tempered only by the couple’s shared intimacy. With Marie away on a business trip to London, Alexandre seizes the opportunity to indulge his desires, first with Veronika in his apartment and then with another friend who had been open about her desire to cheat on her husband. Following each tryst, Alexandre indulges in self-important monologues, accompanied by a curated selection of classical and pop music played on his record player, as if attempting to justify his actions to the universe.

As the night wears on, Veronika (Veronika) finds herself drawn to the apartment of her own accord, fueled by drink and a sense of reckless abandon. What she discovers upon entering is a tableau vivant that defies convention: Alexandre and Marie, nude and entwined in bed, their bodies a blur of intimacy and abandon. Veronika’s initial outrage gives way to a scathing tirade, laced with venomous humor, as she skewers the trio for their flagrant display of hedonism. The boundaries between participants begin to blur, and soon the three are sleeping together in a tangled web of polyamory.

But beneath the surface of this unconventional arrangement, tensions simmer. Marie and Veronika both profess to find joy in their shared experiences, yet each secretly harbors a deep-seated desire for Alexandre’s undivided attention. The fragile peace is shattered when Alexandre reacts poorly to Marie’s invitation to a party featuring one of her former lovers, sending the relationship careening off the rails.

At the Café Flore, Veronika unleashes a stinging rebuke against Alexandre’s attitude towards women, accusing him of not truly loving anyone - including herself. The words cut deep, and later, as Marie attempts to take her own life with sleeping pills, it is Alexandre who intervenes, halting the desperate act just in time.

The aftermath sees Veronika crumbling under the weight of her emotions, delivering a impassioned monologue that skewers societal expectations of women who engage in sex. She confesses her fear that she may be pregnant with Alexandre’s child, and the revelation sends her reeling. As Alexandre drives her back to her hospital apartment, he suddenly reverses direction, returning to her bedside and asking her to marry him.

The request sends Veronika into a paroxysm of tears and laughter, as she claims she is on the verge of vomiting. The possibility of morning sickness from her pregnancy hangs in the air like a specter, as Alexandre obligingly fetches a dish for her to use. He then collapses onto the floor, overcome with emotion, his distress palpable in the silence that follows.