French, and saunters.

Saw "A very long engagement" the other night. Beautifully shot, and magical in much the same way as "Amelie" was, this is nevertheless a very different film - even though Audrey Tatou is also the lead here. The critics have all been saying it's the same, but I couldn't disagree more: "Amelie" was a personal vignette, with which many of us could relate, on one level or another, as we watched from behind the safety of our emotional kitchen curtains. "AVLE", although equally personal in its storytelling, paints on a canvas far more expansive in its nature, and whereas "Amelie" was timeless, this story is timely, given what is going on in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

The personal story, weaving its way in and out of the battlefields, reminds one more of "The English Patient" than of "A Bridge Too Far", but just as HBO's "A Band of Brothers" managed to construct individually poignant personalities in the muddy midst of carnage, so this tale sows the seeds of a delicate yet persistent romance amidst the blood and guts of the Somme.

The film is a little operatic in its visuals at times, but then it is French, after all. I do wish the sepia tone wasn't used with such blatant aplomb, and that the grand gestures weren't so damnably rigid, but I still found myself admiring this piece of cinematic art, and was pleasantly surprised by the balance offered at the end, between Hollywood happy denouement, and Gallic depression.