He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

The film starts out much like a romantic comedy; pretty young girl in love with older doctor, him with a wife in tow as well, what could be worse, we know that they all get together and be happy in the end. Twenty minutes into the film, just when you think you've taken all the smiley happy faces you can from the pretty girl, knowing the train wreck of a situation she is in, the film rewinds to the start, and we pick up the story from the doctor's point of view. At this point we're confronted with a thriller, with a young woman who is psychotically in love with the doctor, and viciously hunting down his wife to get her out the way.

I didn't get to see the whole film, but think I will go back and revisit it at some point.

Update: I did get to see the rest, nice bait and switch.  Good use of color throughout.

A Very Long Engagement

Like "Amelie" and "City of Lost Children", this film has a quirky story and beautiful photography. A lovely palette is used to paint this picture.

So this story is set in the early 20's, a young lady is trying to find the truth about her fiancee, who is believed to have died in the trenches. Like Amelie, we are exposed to a huge array of interesting characters and magical moments.

The scenes in the trenches are gruesome, not as brutal as they could be and still somewhat sugar coated. This film is not about war heroes, but about those who found the war too much to handle and looked for a way out, and the legacy they left behind.

One of my favourite characters was the Corsican pimps girlfriend, who goes on a manhunt for the men who led to his death. She has a certain style to her revenge.

The lead character though, Mathilde, is a sweet and determined young lady who is out for the truth. Her investigation leads her around France, stitching together messages left behind and eye witness accounts. As usual there are a dozen twists and turns, and a typical European style optimistic ending.