Middle-aged, fed-up and taken for granted, Francophile Agneta leaves her husband and her dull life in Sweden behind for a big new life adventure as an au pair in picturesque rural Provence in this lovely Swedish Netflix comedy-drama that is charming, thoughtful and good-humoured throughout. When the job turns out to be not quite what she expects, the film becomes a wistful but also uplifting journey of self-discovery flecked with moments of simple everyday pleasures, utter joy and positive life-affirmation. Eva Melander is an utter delight on-screen from start to finish in a quartet of accomplished lead performances of colourful characters. This is not the typical light, sunny fish-out-of-water rom-com but a mature, reflective rear-view-mirror ode to life, love and experience that is both warm and tinged with some sadness. The gorgeous soundtrack is cleverly entwined with the storytelling, at times narrating Agneta's experiences and discoveries, and even smartly reframing ABBA's The Winner Takes It All to make the female protagonist the victor. The film is a timely reminder that all lives are worth celebrating and living to the full, and it does so quite beautifully.
No comments:
Post a Comment