Simple comme Sylvain, Monia Chokri's third feature film, will be broadcast on France 5 on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at 8:55 p.m. Presented at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard selection, the film was released in theaters on November 8, 2023.
Is it true that opposites attract? You have two hours to find out, which is the length of Monia Chokri's film Simple Comme Sylvain , presented in the Un Certain Regard selection at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. A former star of the Dolan galaxy, the Quebec native has created a film that is fresh and sparkling, just like her, but also devilishly funny— it's rare to see journalists at Cannes, with their haggard faces and dark circles under their eyes, laughing so hard.
Sophie (Magalie Lépine-Blondeau), a philosophy professor in Montreal who has been sharing her life with Xavier (Francis-William Rhéaume) for 10 years, falls under the spell of Sylvain (Pierre-Yves Cardinal), a carpenter hired to renovate her country cottage in the Laurentians. It's love at first sight, and they quickly consummate their relationship.
But now she has to choose: the intellectual who spends more time with his nose in his books than in the marital bed (which they don't share, by the way) or the man of the woods, naturally vigorous in his plaid lumberjack shirt, who prefers hunting to philosophy. Isn't this a somewhat simplistic and Manichean view of (non-)masculinity?
The theme is universal and cinema is full of works that address it, but Monia Chokri uses pop staging that makes it unique in its own way. Enriched with warm colors, the film takes many risks, flouts the sacred 180° rule, relies on lively zooms for comic effect, and revolves around hilarious, rapid-fire dialogue—the humor of Quebec expressions has something to do with it—with forty-somethings discussing the prevailing eco-anxiety with derision, a glass of Merlot in hand.
But unlike Sonia, whom Monia Chokri looks on with great tenderness and without judgment - although she can't help rebuking her boyfriend on his poor vocabulary in her eyes - the Québécoise is not so tender with Sylvain and his love of Michel Sardou. From simple to simplet, there's only one letter and one step.
Simple comme Sylvain
Film | 2023
On television on France 5 on November 12, 2025, at 8:55 p.m.
Romantic comedy | Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes
By Monia Chokri | Starring Magalie Lépine-Blondeau, Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Francis-William Rhéaume
Nationality: Canada, Quebec
Simple comme Sylvain, a Quebec romantic comedy by Monia Chokri, will be broadcast on France 5 on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at 8:55 p.m.
To go further, check out our selection of movies, series, and shows to watch on television this week, our guide to releases on all platforms, and today's selection of What to watch today on streaming.
