And so we have come to the penultimate ‘Kermode Introduces’ of 2020, and this feels like the first film in weeks that I have absolutely no prior knowledge of going into the film. And it was for that very reason that I was excited to watch it. The reason I started doing reviews of Mark’s weekly recommended films was, not just a way of getting someone to do some of the work for me in regard to choosing a film, but also to broaden my filmic knowledge and horizons and so this film managed to definitely tick those two boxes. But at the end of the day I watch films to be entertained, so let’s see if the film managed to do that as well. The film follows Victor (Daniel Auteuil) who is disillusioned with modern life and the technologies that he blames for him losing his job as a cartoonist for a paper. His disillusion causes friction between him and his wife who soon kicks him out of there home. Feeling lost and without direction, Victor decides to take up a service which allows clients to go back to different periods in history. He chooses to go back to a very specific day in 1974 when he first met the love of his life.
As I mentioned earlier, I had no idea what kind of film I would be stepping into, but it wasn’t long before I realised, I was watching a romantic comedy-drama. And it is quite successful in making a film in that genre. It does have an interesting narrative compared to a lot of rom-coms, even though even this idea isn’t exactly new. The film also has a very strong script with some fun and witty dialogue. It is also a funny script. It might not be hugely hilarious, but it managed to get me to chuckle on several occasions. I was very impressed with several performances. Daniel Auteuil is great in the lead role. He is utterly sympathetic throughout, but he also manages to portray the flaws of the character which give the performance much more dimension. Doria Tillier is also great as Margot, the actress pretending to be Victor’s wife in his journey back to ’74. She is charming and has great chemistry with Auteuil, but she also manages to nail the more emotional moments. I also really enjoyed Fanny Ardant’s performance as Marianne, Victor’s wife. She has the biggest arc of all the characters in the film and she hits each beat of this arc brilliantly. She is brilliant in capturing the uncertainty of the character and goes from being somewhat unlikeable to completely sympathetic through her performance. Technically the film is really well made, but I wasn’t particular blown away by any aspect of it in that regard. It isn’t bad at all, but I can’t recall any particular shots or sequences that blew me away on a technical or visual level. I did enjoy the editing, however. The film has moments where it has non-linear editing and I felt like it was done really well.
Now, I am not huge into rom-coms. I don’t dislike them at all, but there is something about the genre which doesn’t always connect with me. This film does fall into that trap of my personal preferences, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I did enjoy it, but I would be lying if I said I adored it or anything like that. The film is very charming and I did feel a connection with Victor. I was sad for him when I was meant to be and I was happy when for him when I was meant to be. But there is just something not quite there. I genuinely think that that just comes down to my own personal preference because I can’t think of anything in particular about the film which means that I don’t enjoy it more. The film is probably a little too long, but again it never felt like it was dragging, and I was never bored either. So, if there is nothing bad about the film and it is successful in making a film in the genre it is going for then it must come down to the fact that it just doesn’t work for me.
‘La Belle Epoque’ (2019) is a charming and fun film and I can see why some people would really enjoy it. I mean I enjoyed it, but it is not a film I will be going back to again. It is solidly made with a strong script and great performances and yet it just didn’t connect with me all that strongly. But just because it doesn’t work for me doesn’t mean that it won’t work for other people and I am sure this film is one that will really connect with other people. But yeah, not really for me.
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