A Very Long Engagement (B or 3/4 stars)
This is the story of Mathilde's (Audrey Tatou) relentless search for her fiancee, Manech (Gaspard Ulliel). It is 1920, WWI is over, and Manech 'had' been sentenced to death with 4 other men for possibly faking an injury in the trenches. Worst of all, the Germans would be gifted the opportunity to kill them. According to some curious eyewitness accounts, no one survived the punishment. But without closure, it's Mathilde's intuition, her drive, & her determination to follow the clues going back over 3 yrs. to find out if her loved one is alive somewhere, or buried in those overgrown trenches. Visually, 'A Very Long Engagement', directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, is masterful. The story is unique. But I found it to be too long & jarring in its flow.
After an initial investigation, Mathilde finds out that Manech was court-martialed to the Bingo Crepuscle trench for death. She gets a hold of some people who may have known something about that trench. She sneakily attains some top secret gov't documents; offering additional information for her investigation. She hires a Private Investigator. She puts ads in the papers; trying to attract attention of anyone who may know anything about Manech's fate. All the while, we the viewers are treated to an onslaught of flashbacks of her courtship with Manech ... and also his unfortunate situations on the war front. Something that makes Mathilde's escapade even more impressive is that she is physically challenged by Polio. Is Manech alive? Or will Mathilde's long search end woefully? Are all the clues to this mystery too cryptic to unlock? Will she ever find him? If he's alive, where is he, & what state is he in? Could their long-lost love be rekindled? What toll would this journey take on Mathilde's body, mentally & physically? Is she prepared failure? If anything, this film proves that war stinks (in more ways than one).
This film has many moments of bottled-up brilliance. Tatou offers flourishes of the gentle, precocious, coltish manner that we fell in love with in Amelie. There are plenty of cute, funny, whimsical moments that sprinkle throughout the film, even amid the taxing searches and flashbacks to gory war scenes. This is part love story, part mystery, part historical-war picture: The love story is ok, but we don't get to see much interaction between our 2 protagonists. If we saw more glimpses of that 'love', this film could have walloped me like the romance in Titanic did. But it just isn't there. The mystery plotline is good, but you're just as worn-out as Mathilde. And the war sequences are impressive, but borderline relentless!
Just when you think this is a comedy, disaster strikes. Just when you can't handle any more death & destruction, something hysterical happens & knocks you off your feet. One scene is light, the next is dark, the next is light, etc. That makes this long, often-slow movie feel uneven. There really could have been 20-30 min. trimmed here. The acting is stellar (including a fine turn by Marion Cotillard & an interesting cameo from Jodie Foster). The cinematography, sets & effects are absolutely gorgeous (using lots of sepias, browns, whites, deep reds). The film is extremely stylish & authentic. But it tries a bit too hard to be 'great' as a love story, mystery, war film, funny, sad, CGI spectacle, sentimental, historically accurate, etc. It's not always engaging & it's often exhausting ... but you'll weather the length of the film just to find out what happens in the end.
After an initial investigation, Mathilde finds out that Manech was court-martialed to the Bingo Crepuscle trench for death. She gets a hold of some people who may have known something about that trench. She sneakily attains some top secret gov't documents; offering additional information for her investigation. She hires a Private Investigator. She puts ads in the papers; trying to attract attention of anyone who may know anything about Manech's fate. All the while, we the viewers are treated to an onslaught of flashbacks of her courtship with Manech ... and also his unfortunate situations on the war front. Something that makes Mathilde's escapade even more impressive is that she is physically challenged by Polio. Is Manech alive? Or will Mathilde's long search end woefully? Are all the clues to this mystery too cryptic to unlock? Will she ever find him? If he's alive, where is he, & what state is he in? Could their long-lost love be rekindled? What toll would this journey take on Mathilde's body, mentally & physically? Is she prepared failure? If anything, this film proves that war stinks (in more ways than one).
This film has many moments of bottled-up brilliance. Tatou offers flourishes of the gentle, precocious, coltish manner that we fell in love with in Amelie. There are plenty of cute, funny, whimsical moments that sprinkle throughout the film, even amid the taxing searches and flashbacks to gory war scenes. This is part love story, part mystery, part historical-war picture: The love story is ok, but we don't get to see much interaction between our 2 protagonists. If we saw more glimpses of that 'love', this film could have walloped me like the romance in Titanic did. But it just isn't there. The mystery plotline is good, but you're just as worn-out as Mathilde. And the war sequences are impressive, but borderline relentless!
Just when you think this is a comedy, disaster strikes. Just when you can't handle any more death & destruction, something hysterical happens & knocks you off your feet. One scene is light, the next is dark, the next is light, etc. That makes this long, often-slow movie feel uneven. There really could have been 20-30 min. trimmed here. The acting is stellar (including a fine turn by Marion Cotillard & an interesting cameo from Jodie Foster). The cinematography, sets & effects are absolutely gorgeous (using lots of sepias, browns, whites, deep reds). The film is extremely stylish & authentic. But it tries a bit too hard to be 'great' as a love story, mystery, war film, funny, sad, CGI spectacle, sentimental, historically accurate, etc. It's not always engaging & it's often exhausting ... but you'll weather the length of the film just to find out what happens in the end.