About a girl.

Rating: 8/10 (3 November 2006)

Perosnally, I loved it. Very much my sort of film. The decadence, the old world charm, with the modern edge. Sofia's done it again. It will most definitely be an addition to my DVD collection. Its had its fair share of critics, but some people took from it what they did, and didn't understand what Sofia was presenting us. I loved the transitions in Marie's character. From confused young Dauphine.. to accepting her world in the way she did, which was of course, spending lavish amounts of money on frivolous things. But a lot of girls can relate to that. I mean, obviously, we don't have the resources a queen would have. But this modern world is all about comforting yourself with consumer goods, as we have more disposable income. It all seems so empty and selfish. But in Marie's case, her life was pretty empty. Behind all that decadence.. she has a gawky, austere husband, who did love her, but in his own uncomfortable way. Other characters could have been developed more. Such as the relationship between Marie and Count Fersen. And of course, the queen's favourites. But I suppose they had to behave in such a manner becoming to a typical young woman's circle of friends, read: giggly, gossips and a penchant for shoes. This film was not about French History, Europe, the Revolution.. it was about a girl. The girl that lends her title to the film. Yes, it was superficial, it was about gossip. There are plenty of other films out there about the revolution, and if thats what you wanted to see here, well then, you were disappointed. It is about a girl trying to adapt into a world quite different from her own, yes it reeks of americana.. but aren't most modern teenage girls/young women's like that today? It is a beautiful film, every frame stuffed with elegance, luxury, decadence. The Dauphine was surrounded by it. If it was a film about French History, Europe, the Revolution, the ancien regime how popular would it have been? This is Sofia Coppala we are talking about here. Sofia is taking liberties here, transporting the superficiality of today's world into the world of Antoinette. Ans it IS the world of Antoinette, it is the world around her, it is the people around her. It is her day to day life. It is not the story of France's revolution. It is portraying Antoinette as your average (well, not so average) young woman, with a love for shoes of course. This was a story about a girl.