Delicacy

Nathalie is inside a happy marriage when her husband is killed in a sudden accident. For three years she buries herself in work and takes no interest in anyone. One day in the office she kisses a Swedish colleague she had never noticed. She does not know why she did it herself. Markus accepts it as the most inexplicable event of his life. The subject is not love but grief breaking at an illogical point. Nathalie's choice fits no explanation and the film does not try to supply one; the real matter is the people around her being unable to accept the relationship. The form is light and irregular. The narration keeps pausing, side information is added, what the characters are thinking is stated outright. That literary oddity comes from the novel and was carried across. The source is David Foenkinos's own novel, and he directed the film with his brother Stéphane Foenkinos. The adaptation decisions were therefore made by the book's author, which explains why the narrating voice survives into the film. Audrey Tautou plays Nathalie and François Damiens plays Markus. Damiens not fitting the physical template of a romantic lead is a deliberate choice. Who it is for: viewers who like French romantic comedy and unlikely pairings. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a consistent tone; the film keeps moving between grief and comedy.