Un long dimanche de fiançailles (a very long engagement)
as the name implies, it is a french movie (2004). the main actress is Audrey Tautou, who is well-known for her acting in another french movie "Amelie". the title might brings u to think that this is a pure romance drama. to tell u the truth, i thought it was. however, the review for this movie was good (my reliable online movie critics: www.imdb.com, www.rottentomatoes.com, www.metacritic.com) so during my last trip to jakarta, i bought the dvd.
the opening of this movie is gloomy. the colors are dominated by greyish blue with hints of sepia. we are introduced to 5 soldiers who are condemned because out of desperation of being in the war, they wound themselves in order to be sent home. they are to be placed in ‘no man’s land’ which is basically the battle field itself between the german and the french. one particular young guy is the fiancee of our heroine.
after each of the condemned soldiers’ background are presented, the scene jumps to Mathilde (Audrey Tautou), when she receives a message from one of the millitary who knows some hints about her fiancee, Manech, whereabouts. from then on, we see fragments of what has happened to each of the condemned soldiers as 
Mathilde, the red line of the movie, tries to find out what has become of her loved one.
the director seams the puzzle pieces in such a way that we feel Mathilde’s disappointment, excitement, anticipation, and hope. the plot is also interesting, as it is a mixture of forward and backward story line.
once in a while we are given sweet memories flasbacks of MMM (manech aime mathilde/mathilde aime manech) which makes us believe why this girl never gives up in looking for her dearest. at other times, the movie is inserted by the war events, 
based on the memories of the intertwined characters. one finding relates one person to the next, and so on. at some points we get to see murders executed. at other points we get to try to find clues hidden in a letter. and all the while, we are given detailed views of each of the location the story takes place.
from the village where Manech & Mathilde grow up, become friends, & eventually lovers; 
to Paris where Mathilde hires a detective; to other small towns where Mathilde visits the persons who complement the missing puzzle pieces; and to the battle field where the war took place.
what touches me most is how Mathilde tries her best to hang on to HOPE. 
during some of her desperate moments, she sort of asks God to give her the omens on whether Manech is still alive or not. one example is ‘if the dog comes into my room before i am called for dinner, then Manech is still alive’. I would also wait with anticipation of the omen to come true. and it is as if I too, feel relieved when the expected omen does happen.
and oh don’t worry, the movie is NOT all somber. there are some funny moments too 
overall, the dialogues are quite good (too bad the unofficial french –> english translation in my dvd was a bit confusing). the mystery is there to keep you anticipating (what happen to condemned #1? #2? why? and most of all, is Manech still alive???). the emotions are there to keep you engaged. the shots are there to keep your eyes interested. personally, i just adore this flick. might be just my personal preference ;-P
