Review No.155: Delicacy

Ever since she made her name with Amelie it seems that Audrey Tautou has carved out a career by mainly playing kooky yet likeable French Women there are obvious exceptions such as The Da Vinci Code but on the whole she does portray a certain character type. Her character Nathalie certainly fits the usual Tautou mould as we see her in the opening scene accosted and kissed by a stranger only it is actually her boyfriend because they were playing one of those kooky games that only seem to exist in the movies. Nathalie, who at the start of the film sells programmes at the theatre, is swept off her feet by Francois with the two marrying pretty swiftly before talking about having children. There is tragedy though as Francois is killed and Nathalie goes through a three year grieving process which we the audience don't witness on screen but is instead represented by the fact her pregnant friend now has a two year old daughter. Nathalie, who has now moved up job wise, surprises new Swedish co-worker Markus one day by laying a kiss on his lips but as fate would have it the two end up falling for each other. So follows a quirky romance involving bottles of wine being knocked over, the giving of Pez dispensers and a lot of faux pas at the hands of the clumsy yet charming Markus. Thankfully Delicacy doesn't just follow a whimsical romance but rather tells the tale of how you pick yourself up again after the love of your life is no longer with you and more importantly are you ready to love once more. Nathalie's friends voice their concerns about her new romantic partner while her boss, who is also in love with her, tries to find a way to put a stop to the partnership. Though it is Nathalie herself who has to battle through and it is up to her whether she is ready to say goodbye to her late husband before moving on with her new beau.

Delicacy is obviously a very precious project to directors David and Stephane Foenkinos as it is adapted from a book written by the former who I'm guessing wants to keep as much of his initial story in the film as he possibly can. I feel that this is a mistake as the romance between Markus and Nathalie is built up far too long before anything happens but maybe this is because I found the whole courtship about too quirky or kooky. The best parts of Delicacy are the beginning and ends of the film which look at how hard it is to cope with grief and how at the end of the day we have to move on with our lives. Tautou is most comfortable in the middle section however she is stretched more by the other parts of the film and therefore is able to demonstrate why she is such a talented actor. I also thought Francois Damiens was excellent as Stefan the slightly slovenly and overweight gent who just happens to be in the right place at the right so is therefore the perfect man for Nathalie to move on with. It is interesting that Damiens is portrayed as a romantic lead however this is addressed by Nathalie's boss, and Markus' romantic rival, as he questions why she wanted to romance someone so ugly when she has the option to date him instead. Another problem Delicacy has for me is that there are too many narrators as the film kicks off with a voice-over from Francois before Nathalie takes over but gives the reigns to David for the final part of the film including the ending which I enjoyed very much. I also felt that the use of music throughout was excellent as the different parts of Nathalie's life are illustrated through what is heard while Markus introduces her to a new world of audio delights with his slightly offbeat taste in bands. The Foenkinos' have given us an enjoyable little film which survives on the performance of the two actors and the beginning and ending of the film which deals with the grief process as well as the readiness to find a new love. The problem is that they're too close to the story to realise that the middle section needs cutting down and the film unfortunately suffers as a result. The star of the show once again though is Tautou who is at her more interesting when she stretches herself rather than playing the kooky character that she normally portrays.

Verdict: An excellent first and third part are spoiled by an extremely baggy middle section thankfully Tautou and Damiens are both great so therefore Delicacy receives 6/10