samanthaschenk

Season 1 of Andor was really good, I enjoyed the atmosphere and the character building. I loved seeing a new type of hero and the darker side of the empire. I liked that it was stand alone and I could see hints of other things that were going on in the star wars universe. But season 2...I found the plotlines unbelieveable, the reasons for actions didn't tie together, and very little happened...not to mention a badass female character had a pregnancy plotline end...very lame. As much as I loved the first season, I can't forgive what was done in season 2 and have to rate this low. I'm very disappointed.

Watched as part of the french film festival, I went into this film relatively blind. The first thing that I'll say is that I don't resonate with the blurb very much, and I spent the entire car ride home puzzling over how Jane Austen wrecked the lives of either of the main characters. Yes, Oliver's backstory included Jane Austen, and he rejected her work in favour of other (male) contemporaries, which seemed to have served him well in his career, but not in love. Agathe was the same, successful at her book selling job which she doesn't seem unhappy with, but waiting for her 'Mr Darcy' for 2 years. That's hardly a lifetime...

In saying that, it was witty, and I liked Agathe's relationship with Felix and her sister. It was nice to get a fresh take on an Austin-like writer, rather than as a retelling of one of her characters. As Agathe observes, Austen was the first writer to write women as humans, and idea which absolutely needs to be revisited in the current media world. This film successfully does that in making Agathe a messy and imperfect human in the best way.

Absolutely resonated with her writer's block trauma and imposter syndrome. The message seemed to get lost a little for me, and I felt that some parts that could have been atmospheric dragged. It's possible that some Jane Austen references went over my head.