A very long engagement - Cinema can't get any better than this!

                   From acclaimed director Jean Pierre Jeunet who brought us the indelible Amelie, comes this fine French film. Folks, time and again it's been proven that the French are miles ahead of their American contemporaries in the art of film making. While Indian movie makers still struggle to catch a glimmer of making a movie, and the Americans bank on bombastic visualizations to rope in the audience, The French bring forth spellbinding movies that usually go unnoticed by the global audience. A pity!

There's still hope Audrey! There are still sane moviegoers left!

Be warned though. This movie depicts realistic war scenes that may make the squeamish cringe. Also, for the casual viewer the pace may seem pretty slow. But persevere and you'll be rewarded! ^_^ I've no inclination towards recommending this fine movie to the pea-brained who wet their underpants over Robert Downey's sarcastic, exasperating one liners. This one's strictly for movie lovers!

'A very long engagement' portrays Mathilde's relentless search for her fiance who's presumed dead from the WW1. Manech, Mathilde's fiance gets condemned for self mutilation which he did to avoid military service. He finds himself charted off to the diabolical 'No man's land' that's cited between the French and German trench lines, along with four other men. It's claimed that all five perished in this constantly nuked region. However Mathilde refuses to believe what she hears. Her intuition says otherwise, and she embarks on a long quest, accompanied by a private investigator, to find the truth behind the story and discover the whereabouts of the love of her life. As quoted by the untitled narrator of the movie "If Manech were dead, Mathilde would know", Mathilde's determination manifests as she assiduously climbs the spiralling steps of the light house and reaches the top to behold the sunset with undying hope in her heart, as if to tell the departing sun to bring back her Manech the next day. Sigh.. Simply spectacular! :') Along the way, she learns about the lives of people that were intertwined with Manech's.

Mark my words people. Decades later, when Downey and the ilk get superseded by a younger generation of actors, artists like Audrey shall shine forth, inspire the impressionable and go down in history! Audrey, in the acting department, can be referred to as the Anne Hathaway of France. Gaspard does justice to his role as Manech, the love of Mathilde's life. The supplementary actors turn out to be graceful in their endeavors too. They hold intricate stories of their own which impart important clues to Mathilde. The rich ensemble of cast expend every last shred of acting in them to make an overall stellar performance. As is the wont of Jean Pierre, the close up shots of the actors during consequential narrations add to the touch of realism and make us empathize with the characters.

Audrey as Mathilde

 As I mentioned earlier, the pacing is a bit slow for the average viewer. However AVLE is a heartwarming tale of undying love and hope. Despite its slow pace, you'd be treated to glimpses of the lives of those linked to Manech, in addition to the rudimentary plotline. This movie successfully drives home the futility of war and portrays the aftermath through the eyes of its victims. It's a funny thing how in wars, there are no perpetrators at all, but only the victims. Does it make an ounce of difference? Yes, it strikes dread and misery in the hearts of these victims and their families. Nothing more. No glory. No pride. Period.

The French films can be incontrovertibly associated with fine music. The music in AVLE lends itself to the scenes very faithfully. Be it the gruesome, macabre war scenes or the comical parts, the music is lively and very appealing to the senses. The cinematography oozes class from its every pore! By and large, the sepia toned premise is visually arresting and aggrandizes the beauty of this fine film.

You can't afford to miss this movie at any cost! Watching this will redeem you for the time and energy wasted on countless other trite that masquerade as movies.