Alex, played by Denis Lavant, is a struggling filmmaker who is dealing with the aftermath of his girlfriend Florence leaving him for his best friend Thomas. Filled with rage and heartbreak, he attempts to strangle Thomas but gives up and wanders the streets of Paris at night. As he wanders, he witnesses the separation of a young woman named Mireille, played by Mireille Perrier, from her boyfriend. The two encounter each other at a party later that evening and strike up an immediate connection.
Over the course of the film, Alex and Mireille’s relationship develops as they explore their shared sense of dislocation and existential confusion. They have conversations about art, love, and life in a way that is both poetic and poignant. As Alex continues to struggle with the fallout from his failed relationship and his own identity as a filmmaker, Mireille confronts her own sense of disillusionment with the ad industry and her own creative ambitions.
Shot in black and white, Boy Meets Girl is a visually stunning and deeply emotional exploration of modern love and the human condition. It won critical acclaim upon its release in 1984, and helped establish director Leos Carax as a major talent in French cinema. The film is widely regarded as a masterpiece of the French New Wave, and remains a beloved classic of arthouse cinema to this day.