For Lovers Only (2011) User Reviews

HK Auteur Review - For Lovers Only

[hkauteur · 8/10 · 2 September 2013]

Have you ever strolled with your girlfriend down the street in the perfect mutual moment and wished somebody photographed the both of you at the right angle and turned it into a postcard? That's what this film feels like from beginning to end.

For Lovers Only is a completely intoxicating assault on the senses. They completely capture the intimacy of human touch; someone stroking your hair, nibbling your ear, the saliva strings between kisses, stroking their fingers across your back while clamping their legs around you in a deep embrace. It's every picture-perfect chocolaty moment that any hopeless romantic would love to experience.

Stana Katic looks divine; her beauty makes me want to cry. Suffice to say, she gives a good performance. Mark Polish is fine but his performance is hidden beneath his sunglasses. Together they both make a believable couple and most importantly create the mutual overwhelming rush of passion. Also noteworthy is the film's sensuous soundtrack, of which I listened through the film's closing credits.

Romantic as it is, the Polish brothers also present an insightful examination of love. Relationships are spatial and temporal, and we are confined by how close we are and how much time we have. It's always in moments of ecstasy where time zips by, you begin counting the seconds before the moment is gone. For Lovers Only incorporates this into its film language, most notably in its montage sequences.

Here we see how love amplifies everything up to eleven, how everything becomes life and death (which justifies the dreamy black and white cinematography). And how there is only one person for you in the entire world, right before you wake up and snap out of it. Through the sweet and the sour, we realize Sofia and Yves are intertwined in this moment of passion because of their past relationship and by the romantic excitement of their chance encounter. It's suddenly romantic when they're reminded how they are so used to each other. But does familiarity make a lasting relationship? That becomes the film's central question, but they leave it up for the audience to answer themselves.

In the end, unlike the typical Hollywood romance, this film chooses the emotional journey of love over the final result of whether love is obtained. For Lovers Only is a bittersweet dark chocolate of a film and I recommend every romantic couple have a 89-minute affair with it.

For more reviews, please visit my film blog at http://hkauteur.wordpress.com/

distracting sound

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 8 January 2022]

A chance encounter between photographer Yves (Mark Polish) and former lover Sofia (Stana Katic) leads to a passionate reignition of their relationship.

The sound recording has excessive background noises to the point of being distracting. I have to assume that it's a choice but it's an annoying choice. It's hard to understand the dialogue at times. I suggest turning on the subtitles. There are sections where the film uses music and it turns somewhat into a music video. That helps. This is guerilla filmmaking. It helps with the feeling of dropping in on their fling. The black and white cinematography certainly looks beautiful. It doesn't hurt to have the beautiful Stana and the Parisian streets. This is fine for an arthouse experimental film.

For Lovers Only

[www-mbthecool · 10/10 · 8 July 2011]

I've been waiting for this movie for almost 4 months .I really had sky high expectations & i say this proudly that it exceeded expectations . For lovers Only is simply 80 minutes of magic .When you see the movie , you just don't feel like ur watching a movie , it simply feels like a love letter written on screen .The fact that it is in B&W makes it more romantic and gives it a mystic feeling . The storyline is simple & the beauty of the movie lies in its simplicity . You just fall in love with the movie from the moment Yves lies on the road to take a photo.The Cinematography is beautiful captures the natural beauty of Paris & the emotions of the characters. Kubilay Uner's music blends perfectly with the movie .The Chemistry between the two leads Stana Katic(Sophia) & Mark Polish (Yves) is amazing .Its not a movie which can watched with eyes you have to feel it with your soul to capture the true beauty .It is for everyone who has ever been in love .It has moments of laughter too .The chocolate scene was hysterical & done with perfection.This movie a rare piece of artwork which is made with so much love & Passion.Stana Katic is simply outstanding as Sofia surreal but nice.Mark Polish as Yves is so natural & lovable & has a smile of a child so heartwarming .. Love itself is such a special effect that this movie doesn't need any special effects.. Its beautiful , sexy , joyful ,poignant & heartbreaking at the end.. Love is a never ending journey which has no finish line .True Love stories don't have endings .Even long after you watch For Lovers Only it leaves a echoing effect in your heart & mind .. Hats off to Mark & Micheal Polish for making such a passionate film .Its a masterpiece , a beautiful love story & truly a film "For Lovers Only " .

C'est Magnifique

[angelcosta78 · 10/10 · 21 July 2011]

While I had seen a few of the Polish Brothers other moves, namely 'Twin Falls Idaho' and 'Northfork' I freely admit I may not have been aware of 'For Lovers Only' if I didn't follow Stana Katic on Twitter. We all know what a great job Stana has been doing in the role of Kate Beckett in Castle for the past 3 seasons so any other project that she is involved with deserves a peek, right? Are you tired/bored with the usual Hollywood CGI laden, big bang, beat 'em up fare? Like me, do you need to be emotionally invested in a movie? If the answer is "yes" then 'For Lovers Only' is definitely the movie for you.

It quite simply couldn't be any further from your 'conventional movie' and trust me it doesn't suffer for it in the slightest. What Mark Polish has written is an honest and heartfelt depiction of being in love - not just the joys but also the sorrows.

'For Lovers Only' was conceived under the radar, with zero budget and zero marketing. The movie was shot with a tiny crew on the fly while travelling throughout France over a short period of time. There are no sets, no artificial lighting just amazing scenery, architecture and touching performances.

The director, Michael Polish has done a magnificent job in capturing the tone of this movie. Filmed in black and white with a digital SLR camera he has managed to create the most romantic and almost ethereal feeling – it looks timeless. I don't know how he's done it but Michael has managed to make Stana look even more stunning! When we first met former lovers Yves (Mark Polish) and Sofia (Stana Katic) they seem to be only half a person, barely functioning. When they bump into each other again in Paris after 8 years apart it is palpable. It's almost like they've been hit by a truck, no words are necessary as it's written all over their faces. We all know Stana can say more with her eyes than most actresses can with a couple of pages of dialogue. From that moment on you just know that there is more to their story and they are going to reconnect – it's inevitable.

As they leave Paris on their journey the ease with which Yves and Sofia fall back into the role of lovers or more importantly being in love is in stark contrast to the stilted and awkward phone conversations they have with their respective spouses. These two seem to be each others perfect, each others everything that it's hard to imagine why they broke up in the first place – it's never explained either.

If viewers are expecting what follows to be a 'sexcapade' throughout France then they are going to be disappointed. Yes, there is a sex scene but it's not gratuitous or explicit – this is a movie for grown ups after all. The most intimate moments in the movie are when Yves and Sofia are simply in each others personal space, totally comfortable with one another, sharing their feelings and thoughts. If the objective was to have the viewer almost feel like a voyeur then mission accomplished in spades.

I don't want to dissect the movie scene by scene, it is better for the viewer to simply go on the journey with the lovers and let their story unfold before your eyes. You'll laugh, you'll cry but most of all you'll feel.

The haunting score by Kubilay Uner fits each scene perfectly and only serves to heighten the experience.

The choices of songs by artists such as Arcade Fire, Jeff Healey, John Lennon, A Girl Named Eddy and Serge Gainsbourg to name but a few are inspired. One could be forgiven for thinking that they had been especially written for the movie as they sit so comfortably within it.

All in all 'For Lovers Only' is a treat for the heart and the soul. You will get a little something different out of it with each viewing. I first saw this movie just over a fortnight ago and it's still rattling around in my head. How many movies can we say that about?

This will break your heart...and maybe heal it

[Lightseven · 9/10 · 14 July 2011]

Ahh...love. So what happens when the "one that got away" is right there in front of you and your life, now, is far away? Do you turn and walk away or do you dive in again, head first and follow far past the distance you can swim? What a beautiful film. What a beautiful fantasy. What a sweet, sad situation that so many of us can relate to. Brava for taking us along on this lush and dreamy affair. It brought back memories of long ago and far away and left me playing the "what if" game for the rest of the weekend. The actors were perfect, the dialogue spot on, the scenery fabulous and the choice of filming in black and white leaves so much more room for our imagination to stretch the story over any period of time. Watch it alone first, and if you are brave, watch it with someone else, if you are prepared to talk about periods of your life that you haven't decided to share yet.

For Lovers Only

[lanciacoriandoli · 25 July 2011]

The movie is aesthetically beautiful... maybe too much. Each shot is designed to perfection. Nothing is left to chance and you will notice it sometimes... you will notice the presence of the director too. Beautiful the chosen black and white that reminds some of those Robert Doisneau's photos. All those things are intentional... As a matter of facts the movie is about photography, framing, it is about time stopping to build the perfect shot... doing this both in a picture and in life. Stopping the time in that unique instant, which is the art, which is sex, which is every moment in which we realize that we are living, but at that same time that particular moment soon gets us into sadness. Some scenes are really really beautiful... but there are too much of them that you could not digest it all! It's all so full, each frame is fragmented into a lot of other frames, faces the double mirrors, the transparency of glass and windows. In fact I struggle quoting one in particular... there are so many beautiful scenes and beautiful shots, all so dense but that density risks to remain diluted by and into the "too much". Beautiful close-ups of both the leading actors... breathtaking Stana Katic's ones that appears beautiful and is able to give her character a past and a future, with her expressions only. Very successful is the close attention for eyes, hands, mouths and tongues details... sometimes it my be a little intrusive. After 25 minutes the movie has a very interesting change in acceleration. The cutting becomes fast, the light high, and the music bursts. The shots change too, opening to shoot the two protagonists and not just parts/details of them. From this moment on it is a continuous succession of overlapping, wide shots and extreme close-ups, fast and slow cutting, sudden cuts and on-off alterning voices. At the beginning of the movie the protagonist tells his love to her: I do not photograph people anymore, but inanimate objects only, just because I do not see what I would like to see. In people I find only parts of you: your nose, your eyes, your hands ... but I can never see the whole of you, I can't find yourself. Beautiful is the motorcycle scene... I had already found it good watching the trailer, because of the metaphor between bike and sex. Feeling the bike's engine between the legs, his power under you. Feel when the gear engages and the bike spurts out under your body. To control that power, that emotion (similar to sex) something that explodes when you try to control it up to the end, but you know you cannot control it completely and totally. Nice the final scene, the only on color, shoot in a field of yellow flowers... looks like the scene from an old silent movie. In my opinion it's a very nice movie... maybe too much thought and reasoned... and I realize that in this nowadays reality, in which everything is done pulling it away, my opinion could appear as one of someone who is never satisfied, but that's it! The movie, I think is nice but lacks a bit in spontaneity... paradox, he lacks a bit of heart. But I do not want to be misunderstood: the movie is really very nice.

Silent film

[mig991-1 · 5/10 · 12 June 2012]

This movie was visually beautiful, the music was incredible, any movie that uses Jeff Buckley is a win for me. There was not much of a story to speak of, lovers reunite, travel, etc. It was more a series of very wonderful shots of the scenery and Stana Katic as much as it was a movie. You could basically watch the first 20 minutes, then the last 10 and you have the gist of the movie.

Anyway the biggest reason I could never recommend this movie, the sound/audio is impossibly bad. I wanted to stop watching from the first scene on, it was that bad. The background noise was just too much and no settings change could fix it. I understand 'art' films, but could they not a afford a boom Mic for the scenes with dialog? I would have enjoyed the movie more with subtitles.

A quietly stunning triumph

[finovotny99 · 10/10 · 15 July 2011]

Mark and Michael Polish set out to make a timeless, intimate film about being in love and wound up making what appears to be on its way to an indie classic.

The story is deceptively simple - a photographer and a journalist meet by chance again in Paris, eight years after splitting up. Shot in black and white with a small hand-held SLR camera, the film both recalls the verite style of the French New Wave, while simultaneously reminding us of the technological now of mobile phones and iPods. The result is something both retrospective and timeless; a tiny, heartfelt story in which yesterday is never quite understood and tomorrow may never come, but love lives on regardless.

Michael Polish's cinematographic style has always been visually epic (Northfork), while Mark Polish's writing has always done gentle intimacy best (Twin Falls Idaho). Here, their strengths combine to create one of their best outings yet; the splendid landscapes of France backdrop for an intimacy possible only with a tiny camera and a crew of two. The brothers are aided by the luminous and perfectly retro-looking Stana Katic -- a modern cross between Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Lauren -- in an honest, beautifully understated performance which complements Mark Polish's habitually low-key style exceptionally well. Joyous and tender and heartbreaking, this is the kind of film that sticks with you long after it's done. Really a must-see, whatever you have to do to find it.

Calvin Klein commercial

[msydrab · 1/10 · 23 June 2012]

How lucky we are that Calvin Klein offers almost two hours of his pretty self-indulgent people gazing into the soul less eyes of a matching mate! Oh you mean this was not about French jeans?

The brothers Polish are far from any substance or verisimilitude. Because you make a black and white movie and film it in Paris, doesn't make it art. It was an orgy of photography without any sex. I rather make fun of Karl Lagerfeld or wonder if anything ever came between Brook Shield's jeans than spend a relaxing night watching this vacuous dreck. The music goes up 20 times the needed volume like Rush Limbaugh's screams about nothing. The dialog is worse than a teen trying to write poetry about an escapade. Besides waiting to hear if anything poetic or insightful was said when the actors finally did speak, they're difficult to hear. My hand was getting carpal tunnel from constantly adjusting my remote from the extremes variances in the audio. I was wishing Genevieve Bujold would enter a scene and tell Stana Katic and Mark Polish to go home already or shout Action.

For lovers only ♥

[nataliejane2 · 10/10 · 7 November 2011]

What can I say after seeing utter perfection!

This film has an excellent cast, heartfelt storyline and a beautiful score. But to me It didn't feel as though I were watching a film; it was more like visiting an art gallery and seeing the works of art move in front of your eyes. Its visually stunning, perfect lighting and location.

I can't recommend this film more then I do. Its just so refreshing to see a film, not some Hollywood blockbuster that makes no sense, but a film, about love, life and sacrifice.

Don't miss out on this one, you'll die with regrets..

Hauntingly beautiful, poignant & heartfelt!

[richard-abeysinghe428 · 10/10 · 21 October 2013]

It's one the most hauntingly beautiful movies I've seen in a long time. Just fell in love with it during the first scene itself. True many say that there is nothing much to the story, but I loved how it ended: open for interpretation. The other fact that made it such a wonderful experience was how realistic it all felt. It could have happened to any one of us. Plus haven't most of us had that love who somehow got away, despite the many opportunities? Having followed Stana Katic's career ever since she starred on 'Castle', I feel so grateful that she took time off of her summer holidays to shoot a movie that started off as just a travel & shoot movie but ended up touching a lot of our hearts!

Stunning movie. Breathtaking in simplicity, but loaded with detail.

[jlt_1974 · 10/10 · 9 September 2011]

The rawness played by Stana and Mark is astounding. Each glance, kiss and vocal tone is filled with emotion. You actually go on the journey with the characters and you become them. You become embroiled in this French love tryst before you realise and you become swept along in the beauty of the production. Knowing that the movie was shot so simply enhances your experience as a viewer. It feels so intimate and honest. It feels so right being shot in black and white too. The photography is just stunning, each frame is almost a work of art in itself. I cannot recommend this movie highly enough. It's a once-in-a-lifetime discovery. Absolutely love.

Pretty to look at but more like adverts sewn together than a film

[calorne · 2/10 · 3 October 2019]

This seemed to me to be a mosaic of adverts for various items - a car, a camera, a motor-bike and so forth.

There was absolutely no romantic chemistry whatsoever between the two leads. They were placed in a seemingly never-ending series of different poses for the camera. They were trying to look cool, but it was all very self-conscious and unnatural if it was intended to be a tale of lovers as the title suggests. I think the dialogue must have been improvised rather than scripted. It was like the dialogue in a badly written perfume commercial.

There were some lovely shots of Paris and the coast and I enjoyed a lot of the music. If you subtracted the dialogue this might be a pleasing backdrop to show on a screen in a bar as background interest.

Perfect

[FancyFranziFfm · 10/10 · 2 November 2013]

This is the most adorable love story I've ever have seen. It is so full with true love and heartache, it melts my heart every time I see it.

I adore Stana Katic in this movie. It's the first one she has a brilliant role in. All other movies didn't give her a chance...

It's played with so much nature in the characters, it is simply beautiful to watch and listen. I never ever get enough of this movie, have Tod watch it again and again. So please be Warner, you may be addicted after watching. But not just to the movie also to Stana Katic.

Filming it black&white is perfectly chosen.

Sorry for my bad English it's not my native language.

Disappointed in Stana

[jwalk3377 · 1/10 · 30 March 2014]

I downloaded and viewed this movie simply because I love Stana in Castle and was interested to see what else she has done. Unfortunately, I chose this movie as a my first one. If you want to make a movie about 2 lovers in Paris, that's fine. But don't make it about 2 people committing adultery and 1 of them has a child. I don't care if they were lovers before, it doesn't make it right. This movie would have made more sense if they were two people who meet in Paris and fall in love. If you want to add heartache and angst just fill that in with their back-story getting in the way of their romance. But adultery, no way. I don't care if it is in Paris. In my opinion, this movie was just a vehicle to showcase Stana's beauty and I really didn't see much in the way of acting skills. It looked like it was shot as a home video because practically the whole movie had the 2 lovers, romping in a field, on a motorcycle, in a car, etc. And during the dialog, it was one make-out session after another. The dialog was many times indistinguishable that I could not make out what was being said. And to me, it felt like they were given a situation and told to talk about it without a script being involved. Just say what you want to.

I could not see the point in Stana making this movie. Like I said, I love her in Castle and at least there she has an opportunity to showcase her acting ability. But I have no idea where she will go once Castle has run its course. But I hope she never makes another movie like this.

Almost perfect.... and an excellent tattoo idea.

[dikaea · 10/10 · 17 November 2015]

What is there to really say for such a movie? It has captured the very essence, the core of being in love. Intimacy, eroticism, playfulness, heartache and questions without answers.

Excellent photography, wonderful music both score and songs.... Stana Katic aka Sofia is a work of art, a diamond of a woman. The Polish brothers did a great job writing and directing the movie.

Right and wrong doesn't exist in a situation like this. A love story that leaves everything else out for enough time to get get carried away and just absorb it with everything you've got.

For Lovers Only is exactly what the movie is all about.

For lovers and true romantics

[ScoobySnacks66 · 9/10 · 22 September 2019]

This has been one of my favourite films since it was released ten years ago. It's a relatively unknown classic love story that brings together a chance encounter of two former lovers who are both visiting Paris for business. Yves is a photographer who has lost the vision of his craft and Sophia is a journalist no longer able to find happiness in the monotony of her day to day life. When they serendipitously meet in the middle of Paris, they are both stunned and speechless as a flood of memories and emotions spring back to life. And here, the story begins in earnest - with the voyeuristic delight that made Before Sunset such a good sequel to Before Sunrise, we are able to experience the intense emotions these two former lovers feel for each other. They bring us along on an intensely romantic road trip and travel from Paris, through Normandy, Monte Saint Michel and down to the South of France in a convertible, on a motorcycle and even a boat - all the while reconnecting with each other, remembering the love of their lives, why things didn't work out and exploring both joy and heartbreak. Ultimately they must decide whether they have a future together or if their newly rekindled love is just this one small moment in time. After all, France is for Lovers Only.

Creative - Emotional - Heartfelt

[dah-23082 · 10/10 · 4 July 2022]

I just finished watching this film and I was blown away by every aspect of it -- script; improvisations; direction; photography; editing; ovet-the-top acting by Stana Katic and Mark Polish; scenery; and score.

What astounds me even more is that this film was produced on an almost zero budget and shot in under two weeks.

This was a master class in filmmaking.

Bravo and brava to everyone who participated in making this story come to life.

Will we see a sequel?

Tragic choice again.

[revrlreagle · 1/10 · 24 August 2013]

Goodbye Stana you have lost a fan! You have continually disappointed in every movie choice you have made thus far in your film roles as far as I am concerned. The few that I have actually seen completely and the trailers of the others and all those YouTube clips of her escapades with snorting drugs, alcohol consumption in excess, lesbianism, nudity, adultery, murder, and her constant use of her apparent favorite word (F***) in various forms, noun, adjective, describing a cast member,etc. She is not timid about using it in interviews, nor how proud she is FOL and the Polish brothers for giving her the chance to do this offensive film. Mark said in his interview, he still has the e-mail she sent begging to do their film. Elsewhere it was reported that she wanted it so bad she did it to free, no salary just a portion of the profits if it made any money by just being sold through digital services. Makes me wonder what she really wanted from doing this film? She's a great talent, she fooled me for a long time, I actually believed she was a decent individual just by her role of Beckett. Guess I know better now. I will never watch another of her movies, when Castle is canceled or she leaves the show to pursue more detrimental pursuits to ruin our culture and our young people; I will not be watching anything she is in until her heart is changed and her life is back on track to reaffirm her fans and our young people that those things she has shown them how to do can kill them. But that is not a surprise, Hollywood and its minions have been destroying this countries morals for years and our youth with their constant lies of do whatever you want, to whoever you want, whenever you want your not responsible and somebody else will have to face the consequences of your actions!

... even the black-n-white was wrong for all the gorgeous backgrounds

[bjarias · 5/10 · 19 December 2022]

... if you watch nearly a third of a film, and it's got little to nothing going, except the looks of one-attractive-lead-actor.. quit-watching... that pretty much sums up the viewing experience of For Lovers Only... yes... Stana Katic is an attractive-desirable-woman, so for photographs or runway her appearance works in her favor... if there were-had-been a very solid script, along with all other pieces to go along with it, she still would have her own difficulties with her performance... their first-again-kiss was boring-painful-watching, not long after the viewing ended

... on IMDb for past eleven years, it's been rated by only 1600 reviewers, yet it does get a good median rating score of '8' ... men over 45 only giving it a '6' though, when you would think they might have given it higher.. Stana looking good in B&W, yet she too would have looked even better in color.