Both epic and intimate,A Very Long Engagement reunites Audrey Tautou and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the star and director of the hugely popularAmelie . A young woman named Mathilde (Tautou,Happenstance )separated from her lover by World War I refuses to believe he's been killed and launches an investigation into his fate--an investigation that spins in all directions, creating dozens of miniature stories (including that of an Italian prostitute avenging the death of her own lover by elaborate means) that shift to and fro in time. The dazzling curlicues of narrative put brutality and tenderness back to back, shifting between crushing inevitabilities and miraculous rescues with deft storytelling skill and the lush visual style of the director ofDelicatessen andThe City of Lost Children . Through it all, Tautou--fierce and luminous--anchors the movie effortlessly. She's among the most emotionally engaging actresses in cinema, with the kind of expressive beauty that transcends language. A gorgeous, far-reaching film the huge cast also includes Jodie Foster ( The Silence of the Lambs ), Gaspard Ulliel ( Strayed ), and Dominique Pinon ( Alien: Resurrection ).--Bret Fetzer
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