Blind Date

At points it reminds me of 'Les émotifs anonymes.' There are unbelievable parts, but once this disbelief is suspended it becomes a charming and lovely film.

Un peu, beaucoup, aveuglément (a.k.a Blind Date) is a simple romantic comedy largely for people who are Introverts. The Premise is simple: An Introvert lady has just moved in her new apartment where she forms an unexpected bond with her neighbour, a puzzle maker (who largely stays away from people) by not meeting & just communicating through walls of their rooms. The movie is also available on Netflix. It is a good watch, a rather refreshing take on the romantic-comedy genre.

What an excellent movie. Since I am thoroughly enjoying watching French movies, this movie is just another delightful watch that makes your heart cry out in joy.

It's a very classic plot: boy meets girl, they fall in love. But as the title already suggests - there is a wall between. A wall which does not seem to bother either of them. In fact, they both enjoy the positive sides of not being able to see each other and to not know what the other looks like ... until life interferes. Drama follows - of course in the French way - which makes sure the audience is well entertained. And yet again, this very French move where even the worst things are actually delightful winks of life is used - here adultery (the lead protagonist's sister) is just another joyful part of marriage.

Of course this movie - like so many others - holds a handful of stereotypical moves: the inner change of the girl of portrait by her leaving behind the strict hairdo as well as her glasses.

Nevertheless, I regard this movie as yet another French delightful gem that should best be served with a tarte and some wine. Enjoy and bon appetit!

Full disclosure, 2016 hasn't been a great romancing year for me, so I get easily irked by too much quirky stuff or unsubstantiated love kernels. And for the most part, easy-breezy romcoms tend to consist of a string of those. So it's at least partly my fault that Blind Date didn't stick.

Then again, it felt like all the creators were working with was a concept and a final scene: the former bordering on the absurd, the latter more romantic than I was set up to expect, by the look of things. Everything else was filled in with a competent, but cloggy and predictable plot and endearingly cardboard-y characters. OK, that's harsh. The leads have a tinge of something special about them, both reclusive introverts, passionate creatives - playfully nicknamed Machine and Machin. Separated by a thin and not at all soundproof wall, they get to organizing their lives around one another and ultimately fall for each other. The secret sauce lies in them not having seen each other and therefore being able to focus on the essence of what's being conveyed. At times, the two even have enough personality to be more than cardboard cut-outs.

Instead of spending more time with them, we're served with two second-hand supporting characters, the adulterous sister (or was it friend?) of 'Machine' and the overly supportive friend of 'Machin'. The problem with these two is that they bring nothing to the story. Instead, they are classic counter-points - the rebellious matron to the timid girl, the happy-go-lucky fellow to the misanthrope. This makes them superfluous, because no time is dedicated to truly fleshing them out enough for anything they do to even matter.

Coming back to our protagonists, their purpose is to free one another of what's tying them down, while also coming together. For one, it's a perfectionist obsession with the creation brain-teaser games; for the other, it's a perfectionist obsession with playing the piano. It fits, we do like fixing in others what we can't fix in ourselves. This takeaway, so common to romantic comedies, is the bane of my existence. To its defense, Blind Date tries to nuance the matter, as one might find motivation in another, but still needs to independently commit to change. Even so, there's just an excessive amount of wish fulfillment about the movie, as too much is left unexplored to really make it worthwhile. Luckily, the bits of Chopin scattered throughout help out.

People seem to like the flick, so with my disclaimer in mind, take what you will out of this review. Yet I cannot help being disappointed, because while it does feel authentic at points, it predominantly appears trite. Maybe I should just lower my pretentious romcom bar a notch or two.

This is a very simple and engaging french film. A very shy young pianist moves to her own apartment that's separated by a paper thin wall from another one (in another building) inhabited by a hermit (almost) game designer.

The plot is thin, but the acting's great and you really become interested in the characters. Also quite a wry comment on how our very "open" society in effect isolates people by the overuse of gadgets (read smartphones).

Anyhow, the main characters find that to have an essential connection one doesn't need to be in front of another person.

Secondary actors are also great and there are many funny and endearing moments.

Really should be seen...