Rated (MA) Andrey Tautou, Jodie Foster

A Very Long Engagement brings back the previously successful partnership of actress Audrey Tautou and director Jean Pierre Jeunet, first witnessed in the film Amelie. The visuals are once again stunning, though the subject matter is more dark and murky.

Mathilde's (Tautou) childhood sweetheart was sent to the trenches before they could be married. A woman of intuition, she has trouble accepting the evidence of his death when her heart so much wants him to be alive.

Based on a novel by Sebastien Japrisot, and with as many twists as there are characters, the film can be a bit hard to keep up with when you can't go back to re-read pages. The story fits into the murder mystery genre, drawing attention to the fine line between war and murder. Jodie Foster is convincingly disguised among the French actors and it is a shame her character has such little screen time.

Though the war scenes are as grisly as the country scenes are beautiful, this is a touching story about faith, love, hope and determination.

Lyndal Irons