review for Chloe in the Afternoon on AllMovie

Eric Rohmer's lovely and understated Chloe in the Afternoon paints a sincere portrait of the temptations of marital infidelity by treating the decision to be unfaithful as a true choice, not merely an unavoidable impulse to be indulged on a whim. Such a stance isn't surprising considering the film is one of the writer/director's Moral Tales, but the manner in which the story coaxes us into identifying with Frédéric's (Bernard Verley) dilemma is both realistic and compelling. Rather than portraying the negative consequences of infidelity after the fact (as many films do by punishing characters for their transgressions), Chloe in the Afternoon is about the alluring and insinuating process of temptation, and whether doing what is right can be achieved over doing what is easy. Just how far Frédéric is willing to take his afternoon encounters with Chloé (Zouzou) remains in doubt until the finish, and when the moment of truth finally arrives, his decision is reflected in a brilliantly subtle visual expression of sudden revelation.