FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

When they were children, Manech was Mathilde’s only friend after her parents died and she contracted polio. It was a friendship that transitioned into a life-long romance. But then Manech got sent off to war and was court-martialed for self-mutilation. He, along with four other men, had their hands shot in order to leave the war early. The punishment was to be left out in no man’s land to die. Back home, Mathilde tries to hold on to her hopes. She hasn’t received an official notice that her fiancé has died. Her only reason for carrying on is the hope that she may find him. And so, she begins her search.

Here we have director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s latest film. Like his previous work, “Amelie,” this movie is primarily a love story (and both star Audrey Tautou). However, this time around, in lieu of the light-heartedness, we get war and mystery thrown into the mix. Typically, a balance like this tends to fail, because the elements clash and step on each other or certain genres are mostly forgotten and thrown in sporadically to provide “depth.” Jeunet, and writing collaborator Guillaume Laurant (the aforementioned “Amelie” and “The City of Lost Children”), keep all three genres at consistent levels throughout. The love story drives the search for her lover, who went missing in World War I. The film is always dealt with in that order.

That’s part of what makes the film so appealing. The thing I didn’t like about such war films like “Black Hawk Down” or “The Thin Red Line” is that they tried to tell ten or twenty stories by floating from one character to another. We don’t need to know the story of everyone in the front. Here we see how powerful and in depth the tiniest sliver of a war can get. As far as WWI goes, this event is a speck of dust, yet it easily fills the two-hour plus running time. Perhaps I enjoyed the war aspect of the film, because it was almost marginalized in favor of the stronger aspects of the narrative. We all know that war is hell, and this movie shows that sometimes you don’t have to linger on that common knowledge. The detective side of the piece makes the film unique to me. Granted, I haven’t seen everything, but I can’t recall seeing another film that handles the balance like this. The mystery is just that. The audience is left in the dark and is subject to various twists and turns (some might think too many) and worthwhile subplots that you seldom see in contemporary thrillers. My biggest complaint would be about the pace. There were breaks in the story that I felt could have been eliminated, while still keeping the entire plot line intact. Sure, my interest held up throughout, but it would have been heightened had it moved a little quicker.

Two other factors kept my interest up: the acting and the cinematography. Just to warn you, Jodie Foster is in the movie. Now that you know, there’s no need to let it distract you or pull you out of the film so you can whisper to your friends. The acting isn’t outstanding by any means, so I should probably say the casting kept my interest. I enjoyed seeing actors from Jeunet’s previous works come back here. The most notable of these is Tautou. She is perfectly cast in this role thanks to her face. She exudes the necessary innocence and hope through her pursed lips, and she conveys the pity and love through her big eyes that no one in the movie can deny. I also enjoyed hearing Florence Thomassin narrate the film. It was a warm voice that gave the picture a welcome storybook quality. Enhancing this is Bruno Delbonnel’s cinematography. The visuals stayed true to Jeunet’s trademark dazzling and slightly quirky style. The landscapes were full and lavish, and even the most drab and dreary settings are made picturesque in their own way (which could be perceived as a negative). The end result is a charming, inviting and interesting film that may not say anything new, but finds a new way to say it.

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