Fluent, captivating and realistic film dominated by protagonist Dominique Blanc. She is Mathilde, around whom the film revolves, and Blanc’s qualities give her and the film something infectious. Faut-il Aimer Mathilde? is set in a village in Northern France. Mathilde is a young single mother, deserted by her husband when he found out that his best friend was the father of his youngest child. Now she only has her two sisters and her grandfather. At the start of the film the wedding of Mathilde’s youngest sister is being celebrated. Next day Mathilde is injured at the factory where she works; in a traumatic accident. She loses her hair and is left in shock.Two men court Mathilde: the reliable Charlie and the more adventurous Spaniard Mano. The latter gets on well with her grandfather, who also has Spanish roots. But Mathilde has little desire to tie herself down. She wants to shape her ownfuture. She wants the impossible. She builds her own house.Faut-il Aimer Mathilde? provides an accurate picture of the specific, authentic mood of Northern France, a region in a painful economic malaise with mines closing and obsolete industry pining away.
