La Belle Époque

Nicolas Bedos' La Belle Époque has distinctive French flavor and is somewhat old-fashioned.

The film is really light-hearted and is all about love.

And yet it is fascinating and can easily bring you to tears.

Many viewers may recognize Nicolas Bedos in the movies like Love Is in the Air (Amour et turbulences) or Love Lasts Three Years (L'Amour dure trois ans). Still, he is first and foremost a writer and a director, and he is as good at those crafts as in the romantic films being an actor.

His new film combines drama and comedy, restraint and passion, romance and real life.

The main characters of the film are Victor, an illustrator, and Marianne, a psychologist. Both of them are not young, but have completely different outlooks. Victor is stuck somewhere in the distant past, whereas his wife Marianne still wants to take more from life.

The film constantly maintains a fast emotional pace. The tension becomes palpable. The relationships of the couple are on the verge of collapse. They are drifting apart being constantly annoyed. It seems that they just do not want to be close any more, but they might as well not realize how much they really want to be together. Nobody wants to concede and they have to decide whether they are moving on together or separately.

Perhaps, when everything goes wrong it is worth recalling how it used to be. What were you like, what were you both like? In such a way you might revive some stimulating ideas, your love or just find yourself. The only thing you need is a small push.

Victor has got a chance to check it out. His son gave him a present - an incredible journey into the past. He can choose any era and the team of professionals will transfer him to the chosen place and time.

The puppeteer of the business which aims at bringing hope is Antoine (Guillaume Canet). He is a sheer perfectionist who creates authentic historical installations where you can meet Napoleon, Maupassant, or even your own deceased father.

Such an expert would surely have been welcomed in the Ridley Scott's crew when filming Gladiator or Quentin Tarantino's crew when making Inglourious Basterds. However, taken into account Antoine's temper, they would probably have not got along. Just like Antoine's team can hardly stand his annoying behavior.

Antoine is ready to fulfill any of Victor's whim. The latter has chosen to travel back in time into his own past, namely the day he met the love of his life. It was the time when he was breathing freely; he was drawing and was the person he wanted to be.

Someone might find such choice a bit weird. Nevertheless, the main hero has made a decision to live his life again, to make up for the lost time. And the big game starts.

At first, Victor is amused by small inaccuracies of what is going on around him. However, in some time he becomes engrossed into this fictitious world. A completely innocent, at first glance, the game grows into something much bigger.

Victor changes. A fire lights up in his eyes again. He starts a struggle with himself without being fully conscious of that.

Leading this fight you need to stop in time and understand that whiskey is not as tasty as it could be because instead of it you are drinking water. Love is present not only in that one specific day, but it is also inside us.

In La Belle Époque, the characters quarrel and reconcile, love and hate, admire and despise. Despite that, love is prevalent in the given chain of emotions. It is the key even if you need to create the whole new world to save or find it.