Art Versus Life

Paris for One conveys the message that there is great danger in immersing oneself too firmly in the realm of either art or life. In Paris for One the character Nell lives an existence rooted in the mundane, spending her days creating spreadsheets that assess corporate risk and writing pros and cons lists to make decisions for herself. Fabien is the diametric opposite. He spends his free time on the roof outside his apartment building pining for a woman who left him some time ago and clearly did not love him. His expectations of their reunion are futile, yet he dotes on her memory and brings her name up in conversations with friends and family so much that they have grown weary even at the mention of her name. Neither character is happy spending time in their respective sphere.

Throughout the course of the...