This is the most recent film directed and co-wrote by
Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who is probably most known (at least by indie film lovers like me) for writing and directing
Amelie (which I must note is my second favorite movie of all time). A Very Long Engagement is about a woman named Mathilde (played by
Audrey Tautou) that gets news that her fiancée has died on the frontlines of World War I. Mathilde refuses to believe that the man she loves has died and goes on a search for him. She finds out he was one of five men who tryed to escape military service through self mutilation (getting rid of their trigger fingers). These men are condemned to face certain death between French and German lines. It is reported that all these men were killed, but Mathilde refuses to give up hope and contines uncovering clues on what really happened on the frontline.
Overall, I thought this movie was amazing. Jeunet once again stuns the viewer with his unique visual style and cinematography. I was a bit dissappointed that he used the same color wash visual that he used in Amelie; Where the dominate color shade is a greenish hue and the color red is brought out. But it is okay because few directors utilize things like color and clarity to enhance the attention of the viewers.
I absolutely love the way Jeunet tells a story. Although, he likes to drag the plot and mislead the viewer many times through out the film. But, he loves character development and that is something I really applaud. I feel like I have met these characters and am a part of their life. Only in books have I ever achieved this kind of intimacy with fictional people. It is really a refreshing kind of story-telling. It is quite character-driven. All of the characters personalities are unique and exaggerated. Alot of the humor comes out of these extreme characters.
...and the movie did have humor in it. Although it was mostly a dramtic love story, There was enough humor to possibly throw comedy into it's discription. I found myself laughing out loud at the absurd situations and clever quips. The humor keeps the dark and somewhat depressing movie light-hearted.
The music was good. It didn't stand out as extraordinary, but it was fitting.
The movie is very graphic. It is rated R for a reason. Some of the battle scenes are very bloody and the camera doesn't shy away when the each of the five men find clever ways of disposing of their fingers. The intimate love scene and blatent sex scenes are also quite graphic, keep in mind that it is french. Which reminds me I have to say that it is subtitled. I have gotten over my fear of reading subtitles years ago. But if you are one of those people that refuse to watch a movie with titles, give it a try. You get so used to reading them after the first five minutes you forget they are there.
Well, all in all, A Very Long Engagement is a fantastic movie. The story line is superb, acting is magnificent, cimatography is amazing. Go see this movie if you want to have a good laugh and a good cry or if you want to see a truly extraordinary and imaginative story come to life through the medium of film, watch A Very Long Engagement.
