Incarcerated until her trial in a prison for women, Anna tries to survive in quiet and solitude. But then she gradually gets closer to John, the prison warden. A married, well-respected family man, John begins to fall in love with his inmate, despite the risks of such a relationship...

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Although adapted from the autobiographical book Défense d’aimer by Florent Gonçalvez, Down By Love is nonetheless difficult to take seriously. From the moderate chemistry between Adèle Exarchopoulos (whose performance is excellent) and Guillaume Gallienne (who is less believable) to a script lacking in subtlety, the second film by Pierre Godeau (son of producer Philippe Godeau) barely adds life to the supposedly feverish passion at the heart of the plot. While the movie does ring true when the camera lingers on the lives of the inmates, where everything seems real and vivid even as it is both funny and merciless, the movie tries to convey passion through a series of scenes featuring cold love and improbable sex, ultimately failing. Exarchopoulos’ talents are unfortunately insufficient to fix the many blunders and huge gaps of a film that seriously lacks a proper mise en scene.