I'm just a little girl made of stardust
Friday, January 29, 2010
I know for a fact that I am not the only single girl on the planet.
I also know for a fact that every year when February begins, all of us single girls usually find ourselves in a conundrum:
Do we seek out a potential mate in time for the big day, do we stay in our rooms and watch movies and tv shows and eat some pizza to feel better, or do we proclaim that love is a fickle bitch and merely seethe?
I've done all the above, having never dated someone for more than two weeks in my entire life, and I can tell you that right now I'm in my own state of Benjamin Linus: I have cast love away from me in favor of more intellectual pursuits. But that isn't to say I despise the big V-day. On the contrary, I think any celebration of love is a fantastic thing and should not be decried as "Just another fucking Hallmark Holiday".
I may be a little bit early in my sentiments (blimey, it's only January 29th) but I figure that...
NE JAMAIS JAMAIS!!!
To cheer Sophie up he gives her the Carousel Tin, but she won't give it back unless he does something for her. So begins alove story...err a tale of friendship ...well, a game of dares that they can't seem to stop, even when Julien's mother dies. Sophie only seems to be causing Julien trouble, getting them in detention, getting Julien hit even more often by his now-recluse father, and yet they're having more fun than ever.
I gotta admit, I'd be pretty pissed too.
I also know for a fact that every year when February begins, all of us single girls usually find ourselves in a conundrum:
Do we seek out a potential mate in time for the big day, do we stay in our rooms and watch movies and tv shows and eat some pizza to feel better, or do we proclaim that love is a fickle bitch and merely seethe?
I've done all the above, having never dated someone for more than two weeks in my entire life, and I can tell you that right now I'm in my own state of Benjamin Linus: I have cast love away from me in favor of more intellectual pursuits. But that isn't to say I despise the big V-day. On the contrary, I think any celebration of love is a fantastic thing and should not be decried as "Just another fucking Hallmark Holiday".
I may be a little bit early in my sentiments (blimey, it's only January 29th) but I figure that...
Today's Feature is...
Perhaps one of my favorite "Romances", this is to me the antithesis of all Hollywood romances. How many movies about love begins by telling you to never, and I mean never ever, bury yourself in a block of cement?
Julien is the son of a very ill mother and a father who has become detached and abusive with grief. His one treasure is a small tin of candy that resembles a carousel. He is a boy who doesn't even know he's lonely, but finds a companion in the poor Polish Sophie.
It's okay, Sophie. The girl in the orange dress behind you will take you to THE FUTURE!
To cheer Sophie up he gives her the Carousel Tin, but she won't give it back unless he does something for her. So begins a
IT'S A TRAP!!!
Fast forward and Julien and Sophie are now at university, still joined at the hip, but their dares have become progressively more adult despite their childish joy. Sophie dares Julien to sleep with a floozy so she can have her earrings, Julien dares Sophie to slap a huge rock of a man she has slept with, the list of games goes on...
"What if Sophie were to wear her bra...."
Until Sophie realizes that everything has become a joke to them, and she's not really laughing any more. She dares Julien to kiss her, and he is more than willing to oblige, but when she asks if he loves her, all he can ask is "Is that a dare?". Even when Sophie gives him one more chance to prove that he's not playing with her, he pretty much blows it. Despite how visibly Sophie is affected, she tells Julien that he "can't hurt her".
I know I'd dare him to love me...
They decide to spend a some time apart. A lot can happen in a year, you know? And a lot does, in a little montage of different relationships and breakups that happen outside the little cafe where Sophie gets a job. The day that the year is up, Julien returns, asking Sophie out to dinner. After much arguing she agrees, getting all dressed up and going to quite a fancy restaurant indeed. She spots a girl at another table wearing the same dress she wore the day she and Julien began their 'break'. She comments that the girl looks rather dowdy in it. Julien tells her that she doesn't even know this girl, and she's being quite rude. He then begins a sort of romantic interlude and we're wondering "Will he?". He does! He wants to marry Sophie! Sophie accepts! And wait--who's that standing up? The girl in Sophie's dress? "I'd like you to meet my fiance.You will be my witness," he tells Sophie, handing her the Carousel Tin. It was all designed to remind Sophie that he "can hurt" her.
And Julien does marry this girl, even inviting Sophie to the wedding. But did he really think he could get away with that kind of tomfoolery?
"You said you'd marry me!" announces Sophie in the middle of the wedding. "Cap ou pas cap, Julien?"
Oh, now that's a bit harsh, Julien.
What happens next is a 10-year sabbatical from one another and the finale to one of the greatest love stories ever told...
One of the first things I fell in love with when I saw this movie years ago was the use of color and the childish costumes. Sophie almost always looks either like a princess, even in jeans, and Marion Cotillard's charm is impossible to not fall for. Not to mention the inexplicably disarming Guillaume Canet as Julien, who has a sweetness and tenderness underneath his strong desire to finally get ahold on his own life, whatever the cost. Jeux D'Enfants asks the question, "What is better? Excitement and fireworks and knowing that they'll burn out or the calm status quo that will bring you safety, even if it's just lukewarm?"
For me? I always choose fireworks.
And the costuming in Jeux D'enfants seems to correspond perfectly with the whole Valentine's Day palette so widely available this time of year, not to mention the upcoming warmer months of spring!!
This movie is truly beautiful to me and I hope you will enjoy it thoroughly!!
Love and Lace,
The Glitter Child
Labels: A Film A Day...
posted by Charlie Buckett at
6:08 PM
4 Comments:
i'd never heard of this movie but i'm excited to see it now to celebrate valentines. i'm never been in a relationship but it's still my 2nd favorite holiday :). i love it so much i make valentines all year. have one: http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/3672/lostvalentine.jpg
I hope you love the movie as much as I do! Valentine's day is a wonderful holiday. Too bad it gets such an awful wrap sometimes!
And thank you for the Valentine :D I love it and saved it!!
I REALLY need to see this film! This post is absolutely beautiful, by the way! I love these outfits <3
I'm very pleased to say I have that red cardigan from Forever 21, I absolutely LOVE it :D
Great post... I've been with my bf for way too long!! BTW thx for your funny comment as it made me laugh loud :) Mon Mode Blog
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