This is a incredible portrait of Queer culture in 20th century France, told from the perspective of an American man who is struggling with his beliefs of what masculinity is. Rather than a great love story as I expected, this is more an exploration of masculinity, as the protagonist struggles with his love from Giovanni and the straight persona he wants to portray.

I did struggle to figure out which decade we were in, and guessed the 60s or 70s. I was surprised to discover that it's likely set in the 50s, as the shadows of the second world war are not shown or felt here. Instead, we get a picture of France along the river Seine, and in the bars David frequents.

I think I would have had more sympathy for Giovanni, had it not been for the scene where he states he beats women because... that was weird. I wasn't invested in the relationship, which seemed toxic, but I did love Hella, I found her to be a unique, smart character and I adored her letters. I wish we could have spent more time with her.