Character Relationship Map: Leaving

Characters

• Suzanne (played by Kristin Scott Thomas) — protagonist

  Suzanne is a wealthy married mother living in southern France whose dissatisfaction leads her to resume work as a physiotherapist. She begins a sudden, consuming affair with Ivan, leaves her family to...

• Ivan (played by Sergi López) — protagonist

  Ivan is a Spanish ex-convict hired to build a treatment room for Suzanne. He and Suzanne develop an immediate and intense attraction, becoming lovers and attempting to build a new life together. He he...

• Samuel (played by Yvan Attal) — supporting

  Samuel is Suzanne's husband, a wealthy man who initially supports her plan to return to work by preparing a treatment room at home. After she leaves him for Ivan, he refuses to let her go and uses Iva...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Suzanne → Ivan (Romantic Lovers) — Their intense affair becomes the central emotional force of the story.

  When Suzanne meets Ivan, their mutual attraction is sudden and violent, and they later have multiple trysts.

• Suzanne → Samuel (Family Wife) — They are married and have two children.

  Suzanne is described as a married woman, and Samuel is identified as her husband.

Story Dynamics

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

• Ivan → Samuel (Conflict Romantic Rivals) — They are opposed through their competing claims on Suzanne.

  Ivan is Suzanne's lover while Samuel is her husband, and Samuel's ultimatum directly threatens Ivan's freedom.

Story Analysis

A dissatisfied wife abandons domestic stability for a consuming passion, whose pressures culminate in crime, murder, and a desperate reunion.

Plot Progression

1. A Life Without Purpose — Suzanne lives comfortably with Samuel in southern France but feels depressed by her idle bourgeois existence. She decides to return to work and has a treatment room prepared.
2. The Dangerous Attraction — Ivan arrives to build Suzanne's treatment room, and their mutual attraction becomes immediate and intense. Their secret trysts destabilize Suzanne's marriage.
3. Choosing the Affair — Suzanne confesses the affair but cannot abandon Ivan. She leaves her established life, facing rejection from her daughter and continued connection with her son.
4. Desperation and Arrest — Suzanne and Ivan experience severe financial problems and resort to stealing from Samuel's house. Ivan is arrested when he attempts to fence the stolen goods.
5. The Irreversible Choice — Samuel offers Ivan's freedom in exchange for Suzanne's return, forcing her into an unbearable dilemma. After returning home, Suzanne kills Samuel and escapes to Ivan.