It’s part war story, part mystery and part love story. From the French director of “Amelie” and “The City of Lost Children,” comes the international hit “A Very Long Engagement.” Clocking in at over two hours, this film is not light and may be confusing at times because of the unfamiliarity of the French names. The main story is linear, but flashbacks from many different time periods are a little dizzy at first. This is not to dishearten those who think that the movie looks good. It is better than good. It is amazing. The cinematography is up for an Oscar and it should be. Rich colors, beautiful landscapes and stirring wide shots pull you into the film, and you have a hard time leaving.
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and actress Audrey Tautou collaborate once again to tell the story of Mathilde, a partially crippled young woman, and her fiancée, Manech. The tale unwinds through the eyes of Mathilde and the stories told to her by others. In 1917, Manech leaves to fight in the First World War. By 1920, he has still not come home. Despite the urgings of her aunt and uncle, Mathilde stubbornly refuses to believe that he is dead. She would know if he were.
So she sets out to find him, tracking down people who knew him or knew someone who served with him. She also enlists the help of a private detective, Germain Pire, though she finds much of her information without him. Along the way, through the stories of others, she unravels not just the Manech’s tale, but also the stories of several others, all interwoven into a larger tale, which encompasses them all.
This is where it gets a little confusing and may require several viewings. Since we are hearing the stories of several characters, each with their own back-stories and acquaintances, the names get a little jumbled. It is not impossible to follow, but a viewer who is not familiar with the French language may be a little lost at times. As said before, though, this does not take anything away from the movie and should not be a deterrent.
The characters in the movie are wonderful. Audrey Tautou does an amazing job as Mathilde, and her aunt and uncle are wonderfully portrayed as well. These are actors and actresses that Jeunet has worked with before and the sync in the movie is perfect. A surprise comes in the form of Jodie Foster, who plays a minor supporting role for some of the movie. She did such a good job, what with the French and all, that the credits proved it was she, not the viewing.
This is one of those movies that you want to watch again and again to pick up things you may have missed before. The story is skillfully woven, and as the end approaches and the loose threads begin to tie themselves up, the viewer is pulled more and more into the story. The music is by Angelo Badalamenti, who did most of David Lynch’s films, and his beautiful score complements the visuals and story perfectly.
Everything works together to make this movie a subtle, beautiful epic. It isn’t too romantic to be brushed off by the macho crowd, but it isn’t too much of a mystery to turn off the sensitive viewer. It’s the perfect combination of both, with a few laughs and a lot of drama thrown in for good measure. All in all, a close to flawless, if not perfect, movie, with characters you care about and a story that pulls you in. What more could you ask for?
