Carax's 'Lovers on the Bridge': Romanticism or Just Romantic Rubbish?

Okay, so I finally got around to The Lovers on the Bridge. Years I've put it off, honestly, because the synopsis always sounded… much. But now I've seen this alleged 'masterpiece,' and I'm left scratching my head more than usual. The visuals are undeniably striking, right? That fireworks scene is seared into my memory. But I'm struggling with the why of it all. It's so stylized, so deliberately artificial, that it feels performative in its romanticism. Like Carax is trying too hard to create something 'important' and forgets to give us believable characters or, dare I say, a compelling reason to care about them. Specifically, Alex gets away with a lot. He's presented as a troubled, romantic soul, but honestly, he just seems like a violent drunk most of the time. Juilette Binoche's Michèle is compelling, but her character arc feels… truncated. We get this fragile artist, losing her sight, and then suddenly she's okay with setting a guy on fire (figuratively, but still!). It's like Carax throws everything at the wall and hopes something sticks on an emotional level, and the sheer spectacle is supposed to distract you from the lack of coherence. My theory is that Carax is less interested in a genuine love story and more interested in deconstructing the idea of love, especially as depicted in cinema. He's using the Pont Neuf – this symbol of Parisian history and romance – as a stage for a messy, often grotesque performance. So, maybe it's not about whether they actually love each other in a relatable way. Maybe it's about how messed up our idealized visions of love and romance really are. Still, even accepting that interpretation, I'm not entirely sold. There's a difference between deconstructing a trope and just being self-indulgent, and I think The Lovers on the Bridge often veers into the latter. I'd love to hear what others think – am I missing something profound, or is it just pretty nonsense? And does anyone else think Guillaume Depardieu's performance teeters dangerously close to caricature?