"Delicacy" is a delightful, albeit predictable, romp exploring what it means to fall in love after losing your supposed one-and-only.
Starring Amelie herself, Audrey Tautou, "Delicacy" is the basic sum of its parts. It's cute, lighthearted and honest but not weighed down by so many of the cliches with which most rom-coms are littered. The singular crutch of the film is the elegant beauty of Tautou in the role of Nathalie. The first 10 minutes of the film sets up a whirlwind love-at-first-sight connection between Nathalie and her beau, Francois. They are quickly married and on their way down the path of adulthood before Francois is killed in a car accident.
The initial relationship is rather superficial and the loss of Francois surface-level at best. Fortunately, "Delicacy" really starts evolving as a film when Nathalie is forced to come to grips with her loneliness. The loss of her husband forces Nathalie to submerge herself in her work. Upon doing so, she finds herself bombarded with suitors, one of which includes her overbearing boss, Charles. Married with children, Charles represents the romantic path from which Nathalie is trying to stray.
Her interest is eventually sparked from a rather unexpected place. Lonely introvert Markus Lundl is a Swedish immigrant who works under Nathalie's umbrella group. The two meet under curious circumstances and their love organically blossoms onscreen. Unlike most films in the same vein, "Delicacy" remains rooted in real-world possibilities. The process of falling in love is portrayed for what it is, at times clumsy but overall fulfilling. It's refreshing to see a romantic comedy show the non-traditional aspects of dating. As the title of the film reinforces, fate has a way of delicately guiding you towards love no matter how unexpected that pairing may be.
It's too bad the ending, like the beginning, is hurriedly strung together, with no real resolution in mind. However, sandwiched between these rather polarizing extremes, exists an uplifting tale of lost and found love. "Delicacy" is an example of a romantic comedy that manages to relate on a universal level rather than romanticizing an unattainable facade.
The special features are all too barebones for a Blu-ray release. As to be expected, there's a making-of featurette, which is a fun but short watch. The Blu-ray also includes an interview with Tautou, which offers an introspective look at her role in the film. Fortunately, the film itself far outweighs the special features and is worthy of purchasing despite those shortcomings.
Film: 3.5 Yaps Extras: 2 Yaps