Every Man for Himself

In the opening sequence, filmmaker Paul Godard leaves the deluxe hotel he has moved into. He rebuffs a male hotel attendant, signaling the emotional distance that haunts him. This prologue frames the fractured relationship that threads through the rest of the story.

Denise starts an independent life separate from Paul, moving into a room on a farm in exchange for helping with the cattle. She takes on a manual job in a local town and begins to craft a routine away from their shared life. The move marks the start of her self reliance and the Imaginary section's exploration of her possible future.

Denise lands a manual job at a local newspaper run by an old friend, perhaps an old lover, establishing new ties in the community. She also contemplates writing a new project that may become a novel. This step widens her independence and her professional circle.

Even as she starts this new life, Denise still works at the television station where she and Paul previously collaborated. She also tries to find a new tenant for her city flat, attempting to detach from the life she once shared with Paul.

Late one day, Denise phones Paul to ask if he can collect Marguerite Duras for an interview. He agrees, despite not being in the mood to help, signaling the lingering tension between them. The moment keeps their professional ties alive even as their personal one frays.

Paul picks up his daughter Cécile from soccer practice, a mundane duty that sits amid his broader existential unease. The moment hints at his attempt to maintain family ties despite his emotional drift. It grounds the story in ordinary life before it spirals further.

Paul goes to the local college to collect Marguerite Duras, who was due to give a talk. She refuses to participate; Paul reads aloud parts of her notes, including her claim that she makes films because she lacks the courage to do nothing. The encounter deepens Paul's self-questioning and loneliness.

After the talk, Duras asks to be taken back to the airport; Paul complies. Denise is furious because the interview never happened, setting a tone of blame and missed opportunity. The day underscores how fragile their professional and personal ties remain.

That evening, Paul takes Cécile and her mother to a restaurant for the girl's birthday. Denise's mercenary expectations and the family dynamics frame the meal, highlighting the distance between their lives. The scene foreshadows the continuing disconnect.

Leaving the restaurant in anger, Paul meets Denise again in a bar. They quarrel and part, underscoring their inability to bridge the emotional gap that separates them. The moment intensifies the sense of alienation between them.

In a late-night cinema queue, Paul is approached by Isabelle, a prostitute who will pull him into a new, transactional world. The chance encounter shifts the film’s focus toward Isabelle’s section and her struggle for autonomy. The city’s underbelly becomes the stage for the next phase.

Isabelle spends the night with Paul, but the morning reveals a harsher reality as she is drawn into a pimp’s control. A spanking later underscores the price of independence within a commercial system. This underscores the theme of trade and power in her life.

Isabelle’s younger sister arrives seeking money after her lover and his associates are jailed. Isabelle agrees to coach her for a month into prostitution in exchange for half of the earnings. The family bond deepens amid the economic pressures of their world.

An old school friend offers Isabelle a lucrative courier opportunity, but the courier boss finds her naive. A hotel corridor meeting leads to the inspection of an apartment that turns out to be Denise’s, where Paul is present trying to rekindle their relationship. The moment brings past and present together in a single echo.

Isabelle seems to prosper in her new life while Denise moves on. Paul runs into his ex-wife and daughter and asks to spend more time with them, but as they walk away, he steps backward into a car and is struck. The scene ends with a small orchestra playing the film’s theme in a garage yard as Isabelle’s sister flees with the car’s driver.