A Very Long Engagement

I'm one of the relatively few people who was left cold by Amelie (2001), Jean-Pierre Jeunets's insufferably twee romantic fantasy. Still, there were two things I liked about it: Jeunet's inventive imagery and the impossibly-cute Audrey Tautou. If only they had a worthwhile story to work with...

Well, A Very Long Engagement (2004) fits the bill. A wonderfully moving genre-bending romance, it makes up for a thin plot with a treasure trove of incredible images, great performances and genuine poignance.

During World War I, five French soldiers are convicted of self-mutilation and sentenced to execution. And yet the sentence is never carried out, leaving Mathilde (Audrey Tautou), the fiancee of soldier Manech (Gaspard Ulliel), to investigate what happened. Her investigation uncovers levels of military and political corruption, and her contact with dozens of veterans and widows teaches Mathilde the human cost of the war.

A Very Long Engagement isn't much on story but it succeeds as poignant visual poetry. Jeunet is an endlessly creative director and Engagement is a joy to watch, from the diverse color schemes to the stylized fantasy scenes. The film features an endless array of beautiful set pieces, especially Mathilde and Manech's childhood friendship and Elodie's (Jodie Foster) efforts to get a child to earn her husband (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) exemption from the draft, that will tug at the hardest heart strings. The war scenes are more derivative, with mass machine gunning a la Gallipoli and the row of crosses out of Oh! What a Lovely War, but are effective enough all the same. While the plot doesn't quite hang together, these individual episodes make for compelling, emotional viewing.

Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant's script deftly mixes elements of melodrama, war film and detective story. The film is anti-war without being especially strident, choosing to focus on the human side of the war. Elodie's saga makes for especially tragic viewing, and the finale in the hospital/hangar is the height of harrowing irony. Tina Lombardi's (Marion Cotillard) one-woman vendetta against the French officer corps seems almost a rational response to the bureaucratic indifference and corruption that sent millions of French soldiers to their deaths.

There are plenty of locations across France, intricate use of flashbacks and fantasy and a colorful ensemble cast, but Jeunet never loses sight of the love story. The film uniquely handles its the romance: Manech and Mathilde are barely together onscreen, but an extended montage at the mid-point sells the audience on Mathilde's single-minded dedication. Certainly, with all of the other romances we see destroyed by war, we hope for a happy ending. The conclusion might be a cheat in other films, but it seems perfectly appropriate here.

Audrey Tautou is superb. She's effortlessly charming as always, and the scope of her quest serves to make her undying love of Manech immeasuribly poignant. Marion Cotillard's (Inception) whore-turned-assassin and Jodie Foster's mournful housewife get the showiest scenes. Ticky Holgado's shifty detective gets some of the film's funniest scenes.

A Very Long Engagement is a lovely film. With its marvelous imagery and clever romance, it's sure to please all but the most hardened viewers.