A 1993 romance captures the fragile intersection of intellectual passion and terminal illness

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In Christophe Honoré’s 2018 film Sorry Angel, a 39-year-old Parisian author faces the decline of his health due to AIDS. When he encounters a 22-year-old student, he must decide whether to embrace a new love or retreat into the isolation of his own impending death.

Set in 1993, the film follows Jacques, a writer navigating the complexities of his life in Paris. Jacques is a father to his young son, Loulou, and maintains a circle of friends, including the editor Mathieu. His existence is defined by a manic appreciation for the arts, yet it is shadowed by the reality of AIDS, which is also devastating his former lover, Marco. As Jacques and Marco witness the disease's progression, they contemplate suicide to avoid the finality of their condition.

The narrative shifts when Jacques meets Arthur, a student and camp counselor from Brittany. Arthur is disillusioned by his own generation's perceived rejection of literature and their shame regarding sexuality. Drawn to Jacques's intellectualism, Arthur pursues a connection that Jacques initially tries to keep platonic. Jacques struggles with his own reticence, citing his existing fling with Jean-Marie and his health status as barriers to a committed relationship. Despite his efforts to maintain distance, the two share intimate moments before Jacques returns to Paris.

As Jacques's health deteriorates, Arthur remains steadfast, refusing to accept Jacques's desire to shield him from the grief of a premature loss. Jacques admits he attempted to reject Arthur to avoid the pain of a love cut short, yet Arthur persists, eventually deciding to move to Paris to be with him. The film culminates in a tragic disconnect: while Arthur prepares for their future, Jacques quietly organizes his own death, ultimately failing to return Arthur's final call. Directed by Christophe Honoré, the film was selected for the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and won the Louis Delluc Prize for Best Film that same year.

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