It’s very tough to watch an Audrey Tautou movie and not be distracted by how adorable she is. It’s a great casting move, because if the actual movie only provides 2+ hours of boredom you can at least sit there and be smitten by her. But with A Very Long Engagement, the story and the filming style do an admirable job of fighting for your attention.
Set in the years following World War I, Tautou plays a young woman named Mathilde whose fiancé, Manech, was sent off to war. Official word and eye-witness accounts give him up for dead in the no man’s land between French and German forces, but Mathilde stubbornly refuses to believe he is gone. She takes it upon herself to piece together the events of what happened to Manech and four other men who were court-martialed and banished to their death. Clues emerge about possible survivors; the truth is twisted in the chaos of wartime and Mathilde is not the only one searching for answers.
The movie is a very odd mix of styles. The flashback scenes to life in the trenches are brutal and graphic, equaling anything I’ve seen in historical war films. Then just like that we can switch to light-hearted moments of Mathilde back home with her family; it’s almost like sudden injections of Amelie-like joyful fun (note, this too is directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet). It’s a little off-putting at first, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I feel it comes together nicely. The story is part sentimental romance, realistic war time epic, detective mystery, drama and some humor thrown in for good measure.
I’d like to see it again so I can spend that much less time on reading subtitles so I can just enjoy the scenery (beyond Audrey Tautou, as hard as that may be). There are lots of fantastic shots, plus the expected Jeunet quirks. Accompanying the varied story styles is a well selected array of filming techniques; I particularly liked the dark and mysterious scenes with the sinister Tina stalking around and being up to no good. As alluded to, the trench warfare is hard-hitting and very effective.
I’m not sure if this movie could ever live up to the achievement that Amelie is, but it is most definitely a recommended viewing experience.
Links: Official Site | IMDB | Rotten Tomatoes
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