Pros: Charming and quirky with the right dose of delicacy.
Cons: The mismatched pairing of Nathalie and Markus is a little far-fetched.
David Foenkinos directs and adapts his bestselling novel of the same name and presents Delicacy: a charming and heartfelt romance that might just make you shed a tear.
Audrey Tautou stars as Nathalie Kerr, a beautiful and successful Parisian with the world at her feet. In her local café, over apricot juice, she meets and bonds with Francois (played by Pio Marmaï), a handsome French man with whom she eventually falls in love and marries. The first half an hour is - what can only be described as – lovely, as David Foenkinos and his brother Stéphane direct a sweet documentation of the soul-mates’ love and adoration for one another to a backdrop of sugary music and the romantic setting of Paris.
One day, however, Nathalie learns that the love of her life has been tragically killed in a car accident, finding herself in a deep state of shock, grief and misery. The subsequent scenes follow Nathalie’s mourning on her three-year path back to a normal life: she buries her head into her work and eventually grows more successful, gradually getting used to living and being alone.
As Nathalie slowly crawls up the career ladder, she notices an unwelcome admirer: her married boss Charles (played by Bruno Todeschini) who’s inappropriate advances she passionately rejects to his dismay. Successful, handsome and charming, Charles can’t understand why she’s not attracted to him, forcefully urging her over dinner to move on from her late husband.
But Nathalie isn’t ready to move on…or at least she doesn’t think she is. That is until she falls for her co-worker Markus Landi (played by François Damiens), a lanky and balding Swede in daily dress of sad jumpers, who unexpectedly reinstalls her zest for life.
Markus can’t believe his luck (Nathalie is his boss and the girl of his dreams) and neither can the rest of their co-workers – who all believe that their gorgeous and sassy friend is way too good for the gawky and bearded admin worker. The news particularly doesn’t go down too well with Charles, who later invites Markus out for a drink to see what Nathalie sees in her – making for an almost uncomfortable scene to watch.
Overall however, Delicacy is a visual treat: a heart-warming tale that manages to tug at every heartstring with its ability to make you laugh, cry and dream. The only criticism would be that the film’s unlikely pairing might actually translate to the audience as a pairing too unlikely. But even shallowness can’t spoil this gorgeous film.
Released 13th April 2012.
108 minutes.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
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