Happenstance Review

As I said from the start, there is no end to the randomess of my blog. Any of the few people who read my posts on Twitter and Google would be expecting another technology segment. However my thoughts have been provoked by a film.

"The beating of a butterfly's wings over the Atlantic can cause a hurricane in the pacific."

Happenstance (Le Battement D'Ailes Du Papillon) follows several individually interesting and contrasting people and their constantly intertwined stories. This is a formula that has been done many times before, but what puts this film above the rest is that it's French. I adore french films, and their intricate attention to detail. Characters are thouroughtly thought out and are portrayed by their minor quirks rather than their more obvious attributes. A good example is in Amelie where characters are described by their love of cracking fingers or skipping stones. This film stands out as the grand story is approached like a character. As we slowly pan away from the minor stories and see where they all link; we find it's the small details that join the stories together. This brings to life the idea that even the flap of a butterfly's wings can drastically alter fate for better and for worse.

The strands that make up the grand story kept me intersted throughout and definately make this a film worth waching if you wish to relax and think. Each story has it's own attractive flavour and the combination gels together perfectly. The actors themselves did a fair job. I was drawn to this film by Audrey Tautou being in it. Her performance was flawless as always, but she didn't have a big enough roll to really shine through. That can also be said for the other actors.

Overall I think this is an excellent film about the human condition and I am very pleased it was produced in France. It adds a very nice perspective to a frequently used technique.

Thanks for Reading

XmasRights