Je taime moi non plus (film)

Plot

The movie is a classic love triangle drama. Frail and love-starved girl Johnny (Jane Birkin) works in a truckstop café in the middle of nowhere. One day enter two truckers, manly and worldwise Krassky (Joe Dallesandro) and his lover Padovan (Hugues Quester), young and handsome, but immature and rather a handful. Krassky, tired of taking care of Padovan who keeps getting into trouble, discovers himself an attraction for this boyish girl, and she falls head over heels for him. They start a relationship; and even if at first Krassky's body hesitates before the meager feminine graces of curveless Johnny, he ends up being charmed by her naive and unconditional love. She is ready to accept anything out of love for him, including anal sex, though quite inexperienced at this, so that her screams of pain cause them to be thrown out of several motels... In the end, the back of Krassky's dirty garbage truck will be the theatre of their union.

Furiously jealous Padovan however, to win Krassky back, will shrink at nothing, including murder... and at the sight of this passionate jealousy, Krassky returns to his first love and leaves with him, abandoning little skinny Johnny in her café, brokenhearted and lonely again.

Motives

Je t'aime moi non plus was the first film directed by Gainsbourg. Jane Birkin was his partner at that time. It includes elements of symbolism recurrent in Gainsbourg's work: passion to the death and uncensored eroticism. Depardieu has a few short appearances, playing a passing cynical gay local.