Character Relationship Map: Lovesick

Characters

• Saul Benjamin (played by Dudley Moore) — protagonist

  Main protagonist. A psychoanalyst who temporarily takes over a patient, falls deeply in love with her, and violates professional ethics due to romantic obsession and jealousy. His personal and profess...

• Chloe Allen (played by Elizabeth McGovern) — protagonist

  A former patient of Otto Jaffe who becomes Saul Benjamin's patient. She is the object of Saul's intense romantic obsession and professional boundary violations. She is also involved with Broadway acto...

• Jaffe's Wife (played by Suzanne Barrie) — minor
• Marvin Zuckerman (played by David Strathairn) — minor
• Otto Jaffe (played by Wallace Shawn) — supporting

  A psychoanalyst and friend of Saul Benjamin. He is initially infatuated with Chloe Allen and temporarily passes her to Saul as a favor. His death directly leads to Chloe becoming Saul's patient, setti...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Jaffe's Wife → Otto Jaffe (wife)
• Saul Benjamin → Marvin Zuckerman (Professional Analyst And Patient) — Their treatment illustrates Saul's increasingly unconventional clinical practice.

  Saul Benjamin treats Marvin Zuckerman's paranoia by designing a peculiar handmade hat for him to wear.

• Otto Jaffe → Chloe Allen (Professional Former Analyst) — Otto's prior treatment establishes Chloe's original clinical relationship.

  Chloe Allen was Otto Jaffe's patient before Saul Benjamin temporarily took over her treatment.

• Saul Benjamin → Chloe Allen (Romantic Obsession) — Saul's attraction to Chloe drives his ethical and personal unraveling.

  Saul Benjamin becomes immediately smitten with Chloe Allen and later admits his true feelings to her.

Story Dynamics

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

• Otto Jaffe → Saul Benjamin (Social Friend And Colleague) — Otto's request creates the professional connection between Saul and Chloe.

  Saul Benjamin takes Chloe Allen as a patient temporarily as a favor to his colleague friend, Otto Jaffe.

Story Analysis

A psychoanalyst's romantic obsession undermines his ethics and career before he chooses emotional honesty over professional convention.

Plot Progression

1. A Favor Becomes Fate — Saul accepts Chloe's treatment temporarily as a favor to Otto. Otto's death leaves Saul and Chloe in a new doctor-patient relationship.
2. Desire Crosses the Line — Saul becomes immediately attracted to Chloe and violates professional boundaries. Chloe's involvement with a Broadway actor intensifies Saul's jealousy.
3. A Practice Unravels — Saul's personal turmoil and obsession damage his work. He neglects patients, abandons a tedious case, and treats Marvin's paranoia with a handmade hat.
4. The License on Trial — A board of inquiry considers revoking Saul's license. The professional consequences force him to confront the results of his conduct.
5. Confession Over Caution — Saul admits his feelings to Chloe and chooses true love over treating the sick. His confession resolves the central conflict between professional duty and desire.