A Very Long Engagement
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“Revenge is pointless”
Overview
Jean-Pierre Jeunet reunites with Amelie star Audrey Tatou in a gorgeous film that trades whimsy for altogether more complex emotions. Mathilde (Tatou) is a young woman on a mission: despite the recorded death of her fiancee Manech (Gaspard Ulliel) in the brutal trench fighting of World War I, she is convinced he is still alive somewhere. Searching for answers will take Mathilde from her tiny village in Brittany to Paris, enlisting the aid of a private detective to find the men who fought alongside her childhood sweetheart and discover the truth of his fate.
Why You Should See This Film
International audiences expecting Amelie 2: A Bigger Spoon didn't quite know what to make of it, but Jeunet’s poetic style makes A Very Long Engagement's meditations on the horrors of war more digestible, if no less affecting. DOP Bruno Delbonnel likewise masterfully handles the tonal shifts between luminous French pastorales and the devastation of No Man's Land, flipping the flashback switch between idyllic dream and nightmare. With quiet determination Tatou is the film's heart, backed up by an army of talented players including Marion Cotillard and Dominique Pinon.
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