The Flipcritic

Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a filmmaker of dreamlike exuberance. His last film AMELIE, like its lead character, wanted to be loved, and did everything it could to woo us (quite successfully I might add). His latest work A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT, like its predecessor, again wishes to enthrall its audience, but this time with its quest to reclaim lost love. Few films are as fearless with their emotions or as daring in their imaginings as this one. It is a film of visual elegance, stark power, and heedless passion.

The film is set in the early 1900s during World War I, where French and German troops participate in trench warfare. It opens with five French soldiers accused of self-mutilation, an act considered treason and punishable by death. One of these accused is Manech (Gaspard Ulliel), a young man who wishes to return to his fiancée Mathilde (Audrey Tautou of AMELIE fame).

As the five accused traitors are sent into “no man’s land” to die in crossfire, they all appear to perish. Mathilde learns of her lover’s supposed fate from a soldier assigned to mete out his sentence, and begins her pursuit of finding out whether he survived. She does so through the details and backgrounds of those who were sentenced with him.

Though my summarization may describe the film as a love story, it is that and much more. Fans of AMELIE should temper their expectations. Whimsy is far from Monsieur Jeunet’s mind here (though a little of it is sprinkled about), as he isn’t just content with romance. He puts in a rich mixture of war, mystery, and humanity, and all of these elements come into full bloom, almost spilling over into each other.

Mathilde’s search for her fiancée becomes admirable not just because of her obvious devotion for Manech. It becomes clear that she cares for the loved ones related to the rest of those accused (just as Amelie cared for the small plights of those dear to her). Thus, her discoveries are made for their benefit as well. Her search is shown in parallel with that of Tina Lomardi’s (Marion Cotillard), a Corsican whose lover is among the accused. Though they both search for the fates of their partners, Tina’s hunt extends to those who have wrongly sentenced her paramour. Her methods of retribution against them are vengeful; casting her as Mathilde’s polar opposite. Their meeting provides touching resolutions for both their searches.

Since the movie shows Manech’s fate tied to his companions, we get to live many related experiences that extend beyond the two lovers. The most memorable one being that of Elodie Gordes, a woman who feared for losing one man close to her heart before the war, and lost two after it. A great American actress (whose identity I dare not reveal) plays Elodie, and all that I can say is that her French is perfect, and her delivery bold. Who says the Americans and the French can’t get along?

One of the most distinctive qualities of A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT is how Monsieur Jeunet is able to bring out the quirkiest events and characteristics from his story, and then with each revisit, make them become more poignant. These idiosyncrasies appear artificial at first. Yet with each reappearance, their familiarity endears us to where they belong or whom they belong to. It is remarkable how a tuba, an albatross, a group of letters, a phrase, a memory can all become so moving each time we come across them one more time. When you hear Manech say, “Does it hurt when you walk?” one last time, it is a moment of immense joy, and immense sadness.

Those who love AMELIE will be delighted to see what new roles its actors have been assigned in A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT. It’s like seeing old friends performing a new play you’ve made for them, all of them wonderfully. The newcomer to this group Gaspard Ulliel is effectively cast as Manech. His naivety has an unusual concrete presence. He never appears commanding, yet his aura is strong. Audrey Tautou conveys a radiant but very un-Amelie-like characterization. Amelie always looks like she has a secret she can’t keep to herself. Here there is no secret to be told, but that same hopefulness is there.

The real stars of the film are its cinematography and art direction, both of which were deservedly nominated for Academy Awards. Aline Bonetto (Art Director) and Bruno Delbonnel (Cinematographer) have probably created the most beautiful-looking sepia-toned movie ever made, as if a faded World War I picture had exploded into life.

I can scarcely remember when the French countryside looked more beautiful (probably in Poitou-Charentes in the West of France), with striking images of the wind blowing through golden fields of wheat. Who can forget the Bretagne lighthouse where Mathilde and Manech fall in love (it makes the wonderful lighthouse scene of THE MAJESTIC look tame), or the sights of old Paris with vintage cars scurrying in front of the Orsay Museum? The Austerlitz Railway Station looks grander than the West Highland Railway Line that appears in the HARRY POTTER movies, while the isle of Corsica provides a Mediterranean ambiance that reminded me of Michael Corleone’s temporary Sicilian stay in THE GODFATHER.

But the film is not awash in fanciful images. It also has those that are bleak. I don’t think I have ever seen a movie that portrays World War I trench warfare as gloomily entrancing as this one. There are battle sequences that are on par with those of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, COLD MOUNTAIN, and ENEMY AT THE GATES. Yet what separates Jeunet’s work from that of his counterparts is his unerring sense of loneliness. The desolation he displays is mournful but private. At least in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, soldiers had the comfort knowing they would die with their comrades (if that be any consolation at all). But the unfortunates who contemplate their fate here have no comfort. Almost every combatant who perishes does so alone. It makes their passing more humane, and the efforts of those who wish to escape more sympathetic.

The film is not without fault. At a length of 134 minutes, it is an amalgamation of thoughtful darlings the director has refused to constrain. Some portions feel unnecessary or uneasily arrived at due to weak transition. But I could not discount how the film dives headlong into its themes and plotlines. It is a fearless and ardent picture, one that is clever, artistic, and ambitious. Other movies about love and war have become tepid and familiar through the years. A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT dares to dream.

Posted by FLIPCRITIC at February 3, 2005 04:33 PM