Polyamory Series
Definition of the word love a film by Benoît Labourdette
Definition of the word love.
Love...
it guides us, it preoccupies us, it undermines us...
Love... It's almost the center of our lives,
in positive, in negative.
What the hell is this?
Shouldn't we define the word first?
Know what we're talking about?
Love or couple?
Love or emotional dependence?
Love or need for love?
Love or relationship?
Love or will to possess?
Love or jealousy?
Love or passion?
Love or love at first sight?
What do you expect from love?
What on earth is love?
Is it all at once?
Is it one of those things?
Is that a combination?
Is that a choice?
Or something falling on us?
Can we work on love?
Can we deepen love?
In ancient Greece, love had several definitions,
very nuanced.
Filial love.
Selfless love.
Unconditional love.
Love of the world.
Love of nature.
Friendly love.
Everyone will have their own definition.
Me, I believe that love has no opposites.
If there's violence because of love,
if there's less freedom because of love,
if there's suffering because of love,
for me, it's not love, it's other things.
So, what is the definition of the word love?
We each have our own,
in relation to our experiences, in relation to our desires.
But I believe that love, if it really is love..,
doesn't make any allowances for its opposites:
possession, violence, addiction, jealousy, etc.
"I love you." It's possessive already!
It's already, as François Jullien would say,
the disappearance of the gap, that gap that allows the meeting.
So, what is the definition of the word love?
on an idea by Nassera Tamer calligraphy, text, voice, directed by Benoît Labourdette
thanks to Emmanuel Vergès 2020