The Names of Love
Why this pick
A buoyant French social comedy that meets prejudice and identity questions with warmth, romantic energy, and an irreverent humanism rather than heavy-handed drama.
A FILM WORTH A CLOSER LOOKTHE FEATURE PRESENTATION
IF THIS ONE STAYED WITH YOU
Keep the feeling.
SIMILAR PICKS / A PERSONAL CONNECTION
Why this pick
A buoyant French social comedy that meets prejudice and identity questions with warmth, romantic energy, and an irreverent humanism rather than heavy-handed drama.
Why this pick
Its outsider-in-an-unfamiliar-rural-community premise turns regional misunderstandings into affectionate comedy, with a similarly crowd-pleasing warmth and gradual sense of belonging.
Why this pick
A gentle French dramedy about isolated people building an unlikely home together, balancing everyday setbacks with unforced humour and emotional reassurance.
Why this pick
For another warm, character-led culture-clash story, this pairs two people from very different worlds and lets mutual respect grow through witty, adventurous friction.
Why this pick
Its close-knit neighbourhood setting and softening prejudices create a similarly humane mix of comic awkwardness, family feeling, and hard-won community acceptance.
Finding the atmosphere, tension and little details that made this one stay with you.
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01 / THE STORY
Seyolo Zantoko has just completed his degree at a French medical school; he was the only African male in his class and circle of friends. After completing his medical degree, he turns down employment in Zaire as the personal physician to the president, Joseph-Desiré Mobutu, as he wishes to avoid the corruption associated with his country. Instead, he is hired by the mayor of a small village, Marly-Gomont in the north of France. He tells his family back home that he has got a job in a town north of Paris France.His wife Anne and their two children, Sivi and Kamini, are disappointed to learn that they are living in a rural village, far from the excitement of Paris. His decision to live in France is mainly driven by the hope of a better education for his children, but he also hopes to apply for French nationality law. Seyolo and his family struggle to adapt to the new life as the locals - unfamiliar with African professionals - fear the newcomers, the children are bullied at school and Seyolo's practice struggles to survive, as the locals prefer to drive to the next village whenever they need a doctor, instead of being visited by a "sorcerer". Seyolo and Anne have a heated argument in front of relatives who have come for a visit, during which Seyolo reluctantly promises that they will eventually move to Brussels, where some of their relatives live. However, Seyolo and his family eventually win the villagers' trust, and his practice becomes a success after he delivers the baby of a local farmer.
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02 / FACES IN THE FRAME
Anne Zantoko

Le maire Lavigne

Jean
Le père d'Anne

Dédé
Rosa
L'entraineur de foot
Monsieur Quinquin