Mars and April

Jacob Obus, a 75-year-old jazz icon, performs on stage using instruments modeled after women's bodies. He communicates through gesture and sound, never addressing the models who inspire his art. The act is wondrous and alien, reinforcing his isolation from the world he mesmerizes.

Avril arrives as a photographer who will not be sidelined. She aims to experience Obus from inside and out, challenging the power dynamic between artist and subject. Her presence signals the beginning of a personal and artistic collision.

During a modeling session, Obus is exposed physically and emotionally. He confesses that the love he makes on stage is a ruse and that he has never truly been with a woman. This revelation begins to bridge the vast loneliness surrounding him.

Avril is moved by his honesty, and the two begin a fragile, transformative bond. Their collaboration shifts from performance to shared longing, blending music and photography into something intimate. The relationship unsettles those around them.

Arthur, the instrument designer and a younger man, becomes Avril's lover as well as her ally in the struggle. He fights for Avril, challenging Obus and disparaging his employer and friend at every turn. His presence complicates the dynamic between art, love, and power.

Across the film, the world’s first Marsonautes travel toward a neighboring planet, and their journey becomes a live discussion about time dilation. Viewers hear their on-camera explanations of relativistic effects as they near Mars. The interplay of space romance and music adds a cosmic layer to the story.

Eugène Spaak, Arthur’s father and Obus’s friend, theorizes about Mars and the fabric of music. In his improvised laboratory, he designs new instruments inspired by cosmic ideas. His work links art, science, and the mysteries of the universe.

Avril teleports to Mars to become the first woman Marsonaute, a milestone achieved only after a capsule is placed on the far side. Her journey marks a turning point in Obus's search for connection and foreshadows a fusion of love and exploration. The distance between Earth and Mars becomes a personal stage.

Back on Earth, Obus discovers that he cannot play the instrument alone. He needs Arthur to join him to perform and to love Avril together. The plan is a fragile, hopeful partnership rather than possession.

The narrative culminates as Obus's journey moves inside one of the instruments (or into the Red Planet itself). The boundary between art and cosmos dissolves as he chooses to trust his love for Avril and Arthur to overcome loneliness. The moment blends performance with revelation.

In the finale, Obus confronts the demon of loneliness with a costly sacrifice. The music becomes both a death poem and a love song, implying noble surrender for the sake of Avril and Arthur. The ending emphasizes tragedy tempered by redemption through love.

The film leaves a lingering question of whether the experiences were real or a dream, but its message remains: love, sacrifice, and the power of art to bridge distances define Mars et Avril.