Not Here to Be Loved

Fifty-year-old Jean-Claude runs the family bailiff business and makes weekly visits to his cantankerous father in a care home. Their exchanges are strained, with the father masking any affection. Jean-Claude has also brought his son Jean-Yves into the business, though the son dislikes the work.

A heart murmur forces Jean-Claude to exercise, pushing him toward tango lessons across the street from his office. The prospect of movement leads him to the dance studio and a potential new life.

In the tango class, Françoise Rubion recognizes in him the older son of her former nanny and selects him as her dance partner. Her initial aim is to escape an admirer in the class.

Françoise wants to learn tango in order to perform creditably at her upcoming wedding dance. Her fiancé Thierry, a teacher, is preoccupied with writing a novel and not fully committed.

As their sessions continue, Jean-Claude and Françoise's connection grows. They begin to reassess their personal lives and happiness.

Jean-Claude argues with his father over having discarded his tennis trophies; he leaves the office in anger. This clash highlights unresolved memories from his youth and expectations.

Françoise grows unhappy with being dominated by her mother and elder sister, and feels taken for granted by Thierry. The tension at home foreshadows conflicts in her romantic life.

A jealous rival reveals Françoise is to be married, prompting a confrontation when she tries to explain things to Jean-Claude at his office. The reveal disrupts their fragile connection.

Jean-Claude accuses Françoise of making a fool of him and tells her to leave, deepening his sense of loss and signaling a turning point in their relationship.

The death of Jean-Claude’s father brings him personal insight. Opening a locked cupboard in his room, he discovers the tennis trophies and newspaper cuttings that his parent pretended to have cleared out.

Returning to the office, he tells Jean-Yves to leave the job he hates, signaling a decisive shift away from the family business toward his own happiness.

His secretary, a spinster with only a dog to care for, confesses she listened to his quarrel with Françoise and advises him not to make the same mistake as before, urging him to seize happiness.

He crosses the street to the dance studio, where Françoise greets him with a welcoming smile, signaling a new beginning and the chance for a happier future together.