Blu-ray Review: Audrey Tautou Exudes Melancholic Radiance in ‘Delicacy’

Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version

CHICAGO – In “Delicacy,” the beguiling new film from David and Stéphane Foenkinos, there are moments that beautifully portray the strange effect that love can have on the senses. Two characters spend what appears to be a brief moment together in an office. It’s only upon leaving it that they realize hours have passed by. For fans of charming French rom-coms, this picture may have a similar effect.

The luminous smile that famously graced the face of Audrey Tautou in “Amélie” is replaced by a no less radiant expression of crestfallen heartache. Tautou plays Nathalie, a young woman who loses her great love, François (Pio Marmaï), in a traffic accident. Her stranded heart remains indifferent to the desires of men overwhelmed by her beauty, including her lecherous boss, Charlie (Bruno Todeschini). Thankfully, tragedy has caused Nathalie to favor an uncommon level of frankness, and she has no problem telling Charlie precisely what she thinks of him and where she sees their future together.

Blu-ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

For the film’s first act, it appears as if “Delicacy” will simply follow Nathalie through a series of vignettes as she encounters various adoring yet ineligible male companions. The first words uttered in the film take place within the mind of François, as he glances at her from across a café. The film goes on to enter the minds and inner thoughts of various characters, including Nathalie herself, who observes that love has caused her week to feel shorter. “Is that was happiness is—no more Thursdays?” she wonders. At first, it seems as if Markus (François Damiens), the balding, shabbily dressed Swede in Nathalie’s office, will be the latest smitten man to get his heart broken. When he enters her office one day, she suddenly plants a passionate kiss on him, causing the blindsided man to float merrily back home to the rhythms of The Power Station’s “Get It On.” Sadly, when he returns the next day, Nathalie appears to have forgotten all about the random make-out session. Markus is devastated, but after watching Senator Obama discuss hope and change on TV, he decides to not give up on winning Nathalie’s heart. What follows is a disarmingly enchanting comedy about two vulnerable souls drawn together for reasons they can’t fully comprehend, while the rest of the world watches in astonishment.

Delicacy was released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 25, 2012.
Photo credit: Cohen Media Group

As lovely as Tautou is to watch, the film really comes alive once Damiens enters the action. Though his lack of self-esteem threatens to sabotage his future with the woman of his dreams, he still manages to be enormously likable. When Nathalie starts chatting with him online, Markus giddily sprays cologne on his neck before continuing to type. When he attempts to send her a smiley face, he accidentally types out a smirking devil complete with horns. One of the film’s funniest scenes takes place during a tense meeting with Charlie, who is appalled at just how perfect a fit the “ugly Swede” is for Nathalie. When Markus calls a cab for his miserable drunk of a boss, Charlie bitterly exclaims, “And he’s polite!” There are a number of laugh-out-loud moments throughout the film’s second half, and once the sparks start to fly between Nathalie and Markus, they never feel forced or artificially contrived. This film is a small treasure.

“Delicacy” is presented in 1080p High Definition (with a 1.77:1 aspect ratio) and includes 24 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage that highlight the exuberant Coen-esque spirit of the Foenkinos brothers.

By MATT FAGERHOLM Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com matt@hollywoodchicago.com