Simple Passion 2020, Laetitia Dosch brings to life the character of Hélène with a quiet, yet magnetic force that anchors the entire film. There is something effortlessly captivating about her from the moment she appears on screen—her presence is not loud or demanding, but it lingers in the mind long after the scene ends. Dosch's portrayal of a woman caught in the throes of obsessive love is deeply human, and it's her understated elegance that makes Hélène such a compelling character to watch.
Hélène's beauty is not conventionally stylized or over-produced. Instead, it emanates from her natural expressiveness—the curve of a smile that flickers briefly, the tension in her gaze when desire simmers just below the surface. She wears her vulnerability like a silk robe: delicate, personal, and impossible to ignore. There’s a kind of raw, unfiltered femininity in her character that makes her more than just a romantic figure; she becomes the embodiment of longing itself.
Her charm lies in how she moves through the world with both strength and surrender. Even in her quietest moments—preparing coffee, walking home in the rain, lost in thought—there’s a softness that draws the viewer in. She doesn’t try to seduce, and yet her sensuality is constant, effortless. Dosch manages to make intimacy feel like an extension of Hélène’s personality, rather than a performance of it.
Sexuality in Simple Passion is portrayed without glamour or gloss. Hélène’s physical desire is urgent and unapologetic, and Dosch leans into this with a fearlessness that’s rare. The camera never objectifies her; instead, it observes, allowing us to feel the intensity of her yearning and the toll it takes. Her body becomes a vessel for emotion—sometimes radiant with pleasure, other times worn down by longing.
Ultimately, Hélène is a portrait of a woman in full bloom and full collapse, all at once. Her beauty is in her openness, her willingness to feel deeply, even destructively. Through Dosch’s subtle and powerful performance, Simple Passion gives us a heroine who is unforgettable not because she’s perfect, but because she’s exquisitely, heartbreakingly human.
