If you’re like myself and don’t speak the French, this movie is also called, The Spanish Apartment. At first I really didn’t like this movie and had no intentions of writing anything about it. Turned out to be not that bad in the end.
This movie is about a French guy, Xavier, that goes to Spain for a year. He ends up living in a large apartment with 5 or 6 other people. Almost everybody is from a different country - England, Germany, Belgium, etc. This movie reminded me a little bit of Ghostworld. Xavier is trying to find himself and I think he truly does figure out who he is by the end. At the start of the movie he is crying on the plane to Spain because he doesn’t want to leave everything behind. His family, his school, his job, his girlfriend (Audrey Tautou)…then by the end of the movie he’s crying because he doesn’t want to leave Spain.
Okay, so I hope I’m not making this guy out to be too emotional or something like that. Anyways, I think this movie has a little to say about getting along with people, relationships in general, growing up, etc. The only reason I queued this movie up is because I decided I should see every Audrey Tautou movie. She actually has a minor role in this film so if you’re looking to see something she has a major role in, you might want to pass.
Referencing back to Shorb’s post and going along with that last paragraph, I think A Very Long Engagement was my pick for the summer at Blockbuster. Getting free rentals every week and working in a video store was probably the best thing I could have wanted for a summer after college. The film was beautiful in every shot, and the story being told from the varying perspectives really took you through the idea of lovers in wartime. This is the Audrey Tautou role that I perhaps would have to list at the top of her movies that I’ve seen…perhaps.