The Lover (1992)
L'Amant
She gave her innocence, her passion, her body. The one thing she couldn't give was her love.
Keywords
The Lover rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic
IMDb6.8/10· 24K votes
Rotten Tomatoes28%
Metacritic59%
TMDb7/10· 756 votesWith 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 6.8/10 on IMDb and 59/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been modest.
About The Lover
A poor French teenage girl engages in an illicit affair with a wealthy Chinese heir in 1920s Saigon. For the first time in her young life she has control, and she wields it deftly over her besotted lover throughout a series of clandestine meetings and torrid encounters.
Cast of The Lover
Jane March
as The Young Girl
Tony Leung Ka-fai
as The Chinaman
Frédérique Meininger
as The Mother
Arnaud Giovaninetti
as The Elder Brother
Melvil Poupaud
as The Younger Brother
- L
Lisa Faulkner
as Helene Lagonelle
Jeanne Moreau
as Narrator (voice)
- X
Xiem Mang
as The Chinaman's Father
Philippe Le Dem
as The French Teacher
- A
Ann Schaufuss
as Anne-Marie Stretter
Tania Torrens
as The Principal
Espérance Pham Thai Lan
as Femme
The Lover facts
- Original title
- L'Amant
- Box office
- $5M
Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026MethodologyData sources
Audience opinions
What the audience liked
- •Romantic drama explores complex age difference dynamics carefully
- •Period setting enhances sensual atmospheric production design
- •Character relationship evolution creates emotional narrative weight
What the audience disliked
- •Experimental narrative structure alienates mainstream audiences
- •Pacing intentionality tests patience of contemporary viewers
Trailer
Where to watch The Lover(US)
View on JustWatch →Subscription
OVIDRent / Buy
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At HomeAvailability may change. Data by JustWatch.
Looking for movies similar to The Lover?
We've ranked 50 similar movies using 8 weighted content dimensions.