A Very Long Engagement - Un long dimanche de fiançailles
Dir: Jean-Pierre Jeunet France / USA 2004 134 15A
Cast: Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Illiel, Clovis Cornillac, Ticky Holgaldo, Jodie
Foster, Marion Cotillard, Jean-Pierre Daroussin, Julie Depardieu, Jean-Claude
Dreyfus, Albert Dupontel, Andre Dussollier, Dominque Pinon, Denis Lavant
From the director and star of Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Audrey Tautou)
comes a very different love story: A Very Long Engagement. Based on the
acclaimed novel by Sebastien Japrisot, the adapted screenplay was written by
Jeunet & Guillaume Laurant.
As World War I draws to an end, a young French woman’s greatest fight is about
to begin. Mathilde has received word that her fiancé Manech is one of five
wounded soldiers who have been court-martialed and pushed out into the no-man’s
land between the French and German armies… and almost certain death.
Unwilling to accept that her beloved Manech is lost to her forever, Mathilde
embarks on an extraordinary journey to discover the fate of her lover. At each
turn, she receives a different heartbreaking variation on how Manech must have
spent those last days, those last moments. Still, she never gets discouraged.
If Manech were dead, Mathilde would know.
With a steadfast faith, strengthened by hope and a stubbornly cheerful
disposition, Mathilde follows her investigation to its conclusion, convincing
those who might help her and ignoring those who will not. As she draws closer to
the truth about the five unfortunate soldiers and their brutal punishment, she
is drawn deeper into the horrors of war and the indelible marks it leaves on
those whose lives it has touched.
“Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a miracle worker, a filmmaker whose soaring visuals and
passionate intensity are artfully blended in this stunning film....Just sit back
and behold as Jeunet the visionary and Tatou the force of nature take you to
hell and back with this epic love story. It’s an emotional powerhouse.” -
Rolling Stone
“Romantic, witty...modern film-making at it’s best. The scale of invention is
awesome.” - The Observer
“An amazing piece of film-making.” - The Times
“When the ending has your tears blurring the subtitles, you know you’re on to a
good thing.” - Glamour
Winner - Best Supporting Actress, Best Male Newcomer, Best Cinematographer, Best
Art Direction, Best Costumes / Cesar Awards 2005