The hardest thing in show business is to follow up a phenomenal success. Perhaps the wisest thing one can do is to shift direction in full, and for that reason it's understandable why director Jean-Pierre Jeunet has followed \Am??lie,"" the feel good hit that captivated much of the world, with the much darker ""A Very Long Engagement,"" which focuses on the French involvement in World War I.
The story begins by introducing five soldiers, all of whom have purposefully mutilated themselves in the hope of being discharged from the French army. Unfortunately, their intentions are seen as treason, and they are sentenced to serve in a dangerous trench where if the Germans don't kill them, the harsh weather will. The film then focuses on one of the soldiers' fianc??es named Mathilde, exquisitely played by Audrey Tautou (""Am??lie""). The story shows her quest to find out if her fianc?? is truly dead, and in doing so interviews many of the soldiers and their kin. It is this search that reveals the true horrors of the First World War, and the ultimate fate of her lover.
There are some elements of the film that resemble ""Am??lie,"" such as the style of the brief montages that tell the backstory of the five soldiers, or the omnipresent narrator whose relationship to the story is never identified. But it is the character of Mathilde who most recalls the title character of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's previous film. With her eternal optimism and quirky ideas of fate, it feels at times as if Am??lie were taken back to post war France and renamed Mathilde.
This is not at all a slur against Ms. Tautou. Her presence in the film once again reminds audiences that she is one of the most charming and warm presences on screen, in or outside of France. It is her grace and poise that carry the film, even in the moments when it lags.
Whether or not audiences embrace this film may depend on how much they keep ""Am??lie"" in mind. Some may embrace the surreal, fairy tale quality of the portions of the film featuring Ms. Tautou, whereas others will feel a bit cheated because they were looking for something new. But it is hard to argue with the quality of the trench warfare scenes. Whereas the flashy camera work and crafty editing Jeunet employs during the post-war section of the film at times can call a little too much attention to themselves, they are well used to showcase the horrors of war that French troops endured during World War I. These are the scenes that are the most memorable from the film, and some of the best cinematic war representations in recent memory.
Even if ""A Very Long Engagement"" has faults, they are forgivable because the film takes a perspective usually ignored in war films: that of the wives and girlfriends left back home. It is refreshing to see a film about war where women are portrayed as more than sympathetic doormats or emotional train wrecks. Audrey Tautou's portrayal of Mathilde is one that defies the usual shackles of the war genre, as she gives one of a pro-active, intelligent woman who is propelled by her emotions rather than crippled by them.
