Character Relationship Map: Sidestroke

Characters

• Clara (played by Karin Viard) — protagonist

  Clara is a stripper who travels from the north to the Alpine region with her boyfriend, Loockeed, and their friend Max. The three go to help a fourth friend run a pleasure-boat business at Lake Annecy...

• Max (played by Gérald Laroche) — supporting

  Max is an even-tempered, almost saintly auto mechanic and a friend of Clara and Loockeed. He joins them on their journey to Lake Annecy to help a fourth friend with his pleasure-boat business during m...

• Loockeed (played by Antoine Chappey) — supporting

  Loockeed is Clara's high-strung, jealous boyfriend and a friend of Max. He travels with the couple from the north to the Alpine region, where they help a fourth friend with a pleasure-boat business at...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Clara → Loockeed (Romantic Boyfriend) — Clara and Loockeed are a romantic couple traveling together despite tensions caused by his jealousy.

  The plot identifies Loockeed as Clara's boyfriend and describes their shared journey to the Alpine region.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Max → Loockeed (Social Friend) — Max and Loockeed maintain a friendship despite repeated friction.

  The three characters are described as friends, and the plot specifically says that they remain friends despite Loockeed's behavior toward Max.

• Clara → Max (Social Friend) — Clara and Max share a stable friendship within the traveling trio.

  The plot states that Clara, Loockeed, and Max are friends and remain friends during the journey and their adjustment to new lives.

Story Analysis

Three friends seek a new life at Lake Annecy while jealousy tests, but does not destroy, their friendship.

Plot Progression

1. Northern Ties — Clara, Loockeed, and Max are introduced as friends in the north. Clara's relationship with the jealous Loockeed contrasts with Max's steady temperament.
2. Road Toward the Alps — The trio leaves their northern home and travels toward the Alpine mountains near Switzerland and Italy. Their shared friendship carries them into an unfamiliar setting.
3. Lake Annecy Assignment — At Lake Annecy, the three begin helping with a pleasure boat business during a military absence. They attempt to create a workable new life together.
4. Friendship Under Strain — Loockeed's testy and jealous barbs repeatedly affect Max and complicate the trio's equilibrium. Even so, the group continues its shared life and work.