French Film Review, "Merci Pour Le Chocolat."
I signed up for classes this semester, online through my local community college (I have a few courses left I can take for cheaper than university tuition, so I will take advantage of this). One of my classes is French.
In the past, I have taken 3-4 years of Spanish and worked in a Spanish-speaking environment. Living in Texas, Spanish comes in handy. At my current job, I am able blunder through my Spanish-speaking appointments, which usually end in a Google Translation session to help both parties out.
Learning French has been easier for me -
trés facile por moi. My brain seems to be adapting well to another language, and I have been watching French films in order to stimulate that part of my brain. (I also recently downloaded the French audio book translation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone).
It was actually pretty good, despite being filmed in 2000 and having British subtitles, AND poor film quality on Netflix. It was about a pianist who takes on a new student (there's a twist to how they meet), and his current wife gets jealous and does a bit off shady things to try and off the new student.
Isabelle Huppert is in the film, whom you probably know from
I Heart Huckabee's. I really like the classical piano music the film visits and it makes me miss playing classical piano...
Anyways, the film starts out awkwardly, because the scene begins at a wedding, but they're talking about deaths, and then you get confused. Apparently, (after the film I read the synopsis on a few film sites for clarity), Mika and André marry, divorce and then remarry after André's wife, Lisbeth dies in a car crash. The characters develop slowly at the beginning, and almost unnaturally. I can't write much more without giving away the twist in the plot, but I did enjoy it and recommend it. It's easy to follow once you realize who is who, and what not.
Anyways, the film starts out awkwardly, because the scene begins at a wedding, but they're talking about deaths, and then you get confused. Apparently, (after the film I read the synopsis on a few film sites for clarity), Mika and André marry, divorce and then remarry after André's wife, Lisbeth dies in a car crash. The characters develop slowly at the beginning, and almost unnaturally. I can't write much more without giving away the twist in the plot, but I did enjoy it and recommend it. It's easy to follow once you realize who is who, and what not.
Anyways, learning French is opening up some new experiences for me and also has opened my eyes to French cinema. After Iceland, I see a trip to France on the horizon.
Bonsoir!