So I had this movie in my Netflix instant queue for several months but it had just been sitting there among the countless others. I initially put in on there because it was a foreign romantic comedy starring Marion Cotillard and looked interesting. Last night I found myself clicking on that movie and watching it hoping for something good and did not expect to find this masterpiece I’d never heard of.
The plot is about two life long friends Sophie, Marion Cotillard, and Julien, Guillaume Canet, who form a special bond that revolves around a childhood game they play in which they exchange dares that the other must follow no matter what. As they grow older, the game becomes more serious and involves bigger consequences. Soon they are faced with the inevitable; when do the consequences become too great and what is worth risking everything for?
There are very few movies that I’ve come across that just excel in all aspects of the film. Movies like these give me just this type of unexplainable excitement and feeling that I must share the movie with everyone I know so that they can experience it as well. This was definitely that type of movie, for me at least. I really feel that this movie pulled off everything so well that it made it a great masterpiece, where other great/good films usually excel in one or two areas which make up for whatever it is that they lack.
This plot was simply amazing. Such a great and memorable story. It was fun, fresh, innovative, classic, simple, and honest. I really enjoyed the love story in The Notebook and felt that it was just an awesome love story but it really pales in comparison to this one. The characters were deeply complex but at the same time extremely likeable and flawed. The dialogue was just fantastic and especially Julien’s monologue about when Sophie returns. And this is not just because it’s a French language film, although it does make the dialogue seem even that more appealing.
The movie was beautifully filmed and I love how it transgressed through time. There were some awesome scenes that were just breathtaking and very memorable, with special emphasis of Sophie & Julien’s scene on the car top, the concrete scene, and the gym teacher montage. There was artistry and style in the editing and effects and gave us stylized dramatic interpretations of some pivotal moments in the film without crossing the line into an alternate fantasy realm. I also loved how the only song throughout the movie was ‘La Vie en Rose’ but played by various different artists and various different styles. The set decoration was really just spot on. I’ve also got to note that the wardrobe and makeup were really fantastic in this movie, which is not usually something that sparks my interest but they were able to make these characters really look different during the different stages of their lives instead of just putting them in different clothes and wigs.
That brings us to the performances. We all know that Marion Cotillard is brilliant, and this is a great example of that brilliance. She just exudes charisma and takes on that role and makes it her own. She makes Sophie a very memorable iconic character. I really loved the way she delivered her lines and really made her whole performance just interesting and amazing. Guillaume Canet also did a fantastic job with a complex character. He didn’t just fill a role for Cotillard to play off from, he actually created an equally developed and complex character. His role might have even been tougher because his emotions were shown in different ways than Sophie’s character but he really played a great role. You really ended up just believing them and wanting to see more of these two together on screen.
When I like a movie this much, it sometimes becomes a little difficult for me to see past the awesomeness and look at any negatives. But on the other hand, doesn’t all the awesomeness make up for any possible negativities? It’s a love story at it’s core, but it’s also a coming of age of sorts and very comical. But even though, love stories are not for everyone and I will admit it was a little depressing after the movie was over as a single girl. The movie is fast paced and it’s a French language film which also isn’t for everyone. Other than that, I highly recommend this to anyone who hasn’t yet seen it and I really hope you enjoy it half as much as I did. “Do you believe in love at first sight?” “Yes!” “Naïve. . .” – Love Me if You Dare (Jeux D’enfants).
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