Delicacy (2011)

This is definitely a romantic comedy with French flair. The story follows the life of Nathalie, a young woman who has a perfect relationship with her partner Francois. After a tragic road accident she must carry on with life alone but soon finds unexpected solace in the arms of a Swedish work colleague; Markus. The story is entertaining and refreshing, providing an amusing and more realistic view of relationships without the cheesy scenes. Francois Damiens and Audrey Tautou create a believable and delightfully comical relationship and successfully draw laughter and sympathy from the audience with the difficulties they encounter as a ‘mis-matched’ pair. The cinematography is beautifully crafted with the slick transitions between scenes and the exploitation of colour and light giving a magical and artistic edge to the film, something French comedies do best.

The film is made to begin with an ending and close with a beginning as although Nathalie’s life seems to be over after Francois death, Markus gives her the chance to live again. In the final scene her life story is retold by Markus through a montage of scenes showing the people that have gone through it with her, ending with himself to represent a new stage in her life. This gives the film a positive ending, leaving the audience satisfied with the result.

My only critique would be to say that at times the film seems to drag a bit and some scenes such as perhaps Markus’ visit to his boss’ office could have been made shorter to keep the audience engaged. Despite this, I think it is a beautifully crafted film that effectively delivers it’s message about ‘life, love and new beginnings’ to the audience whilst keeping them entertained with some great moments of humor.