Very well executed

To me, this movie is perfection.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This film is a masterpiece like Jeunet's earlier Amelie (which may be considered by some as better because it is funnier than this film). However, this film, with its horrific battle scenes, violent injuries and dramatic romance, is also filled with a tremendous amount of humour and pathos. Jeunet understands that life is really a balance of drama and comedy... The cinematography, story, acting, directing, effects, costuming, sets, etc. are all phenomenal works of art to watch. My only complaint was that I got a bit lost with all the character names but I had to (and wanted to) watch it twice because my French isn't good enough to watch it without English subtitles.

This is precisely the kind of situation that makes me want to write movie reviews. A strong word of advice to whomever may read this prior to watching "A Very Long Engagement," ridiculous as this may seem, take notes when you watch this movie…espeeeeecially during the first 15 minutes. I am not exaggerating when I say that there are about 20 different characters whose stories are all intertwined, and if you are to connect the dots you need to remember which names are associated with which characters, and unless you have had a great deal of exposure to French names then most of the names will feel foreign to you which will only exacerbate your inability to keep track of who is whom. Furthermore, almost all the men have facial hair and military uniforms, so that makes it even hard to remember which one is which.I know, it sounds extreme, but watch it with enough light in the room to take notes, jot down what names are associated with which professions, who had the German boots, whose girlfriend is whose, etc. If I were to criticize this movie I would criticize it for having an excessively complex plot (note that I am not). I am just promising you that you will indubitably enjoy this movie more if you keep up with the story and its intricate spider-web of characters, professions, relationships, assassinations, etcetera, aaaaaaand you are certainly going to follow better (at least enough to not get lost half way through) if you take notes. I finally stopped and started over after an hour because I just couldn't keep track of to which characters they were referring every few minutes. If you heed my council and take notes, one hour into it you will be studying them to make sure you are understanding, and you will thank me and never doubt my advice again. I loved this movie.

The film A Very Long Engagement is one that I have to give two thumbs up. This French romance captures the true essence of what a romance should be like. What I enjoyed most about the film was how it takes the viewer on the same emotional journey that the main character Mathilde goes on. We feel her hope, her pain and her love for her fiancé as she searches for him. There were a few scenes that I could have done without, due to the amount of blood and gore they included. However, as a romance film during war time, it is to be expected. One particular idea that I felt was overwhelming during the film was that true love perseveres at all cost. While it may sound cliché, Mathilde did not give up hope that Manech was still alive even after she was told directly by another solider that he saw him get shot. Even as she stat his tombstone, she held on to her undying love for him. Another idea that I found interesting was how the military officials in the film where made to seem corrupt. This underlying message made the film feel as though it had a slight political agenda to reveal the way corruption and secrets are kept in the military. To be such an amazing film there must be an amazing director behind the work. That director is Jean-Pierre Jeunt when looking up information about Jeunt; I was amazed to find that he had actually been self-taught. As shocking as it may sound his great success in the directing business is the result of an interest in cinema. He started simply directing commercials, he then began to make connections and his career launched. At age fifty-nine Jeunt has been nominated for an Oscar and won thirty-nine various awards. He is known for films like, Amelie, The City of Lost Children and Delicatessen. Overall, the film was beautifully done and embodied a "French-ness" that relayed to the audience information about French film making and culture. This could be seen first and foremost through the passionate and well placed love making scenes in the film. The French in many instances are not afraid to place nudity on the big screen or capture passionate sex scenes in their films. Also the various moments in the film that point to cultural norms show this movies "French-ness." For example the family can often be seen eating crêpes together at the breakfast table, and there is even a hint to the way the French love to go on strike, through a comment made about a newspaper strike. As previously stated, I believe this film was beautiful cinematically and in regards to the love story it follows. I would recommend this movie to anyone over the age of sixteen. Just be prepared to reach for the Kleenex as it is a tear jerker.

Audrey Tautou proves once again that she is one of the very few actresses alive able to carry a film on her shoulders. As Mathilde, a twenty year old young lady, determined to prove her fiancé is alive, after hearing that he has died during a battle as a French soldier with Germans, she spends all of her time and most of her money on that mission.Manech is one of five soldiers sentenced to death during World War I, and while a bloody battle in a trench surrounds a chaotic situation, an officer comes up with the idea to set the five condemned men to walk out towards the Germans on the other side of the fire fight. The rest of the story alternates between war scenes and a mystery led by Mathilde and a detective she has hired to find Manech, who she believes to the point of obsession, is alive. The story is a puzzle, which deserves complete attention from the viewer. Tautou is so compelling and believable as the woman in love, that I could watch her read from a phone book, and never lose interest. The script is excellent and the sets exquisite, and director Jean Pierre Jeunet's eye for detail is perfect. A Very Long Engagement is a very good movie.