2 Autumns, 3 Winters

2 Autumns, 3 Winters

Regarded simply in terms of the narrative it weaves, there is probably not much new for viewers to learn about the French romantic comedy drama “2 Autumns, 3 Winters.” No, what sets this film apart from other films of its kind is the specialized way that writer-director Sebastien Betbeder has chosen to tell stories about Parisian youth a technique that will surely divide audiences as those who think it is fascinating and inventive and others who believe it is an unnecessary maze or self-aware digression.

Arman (Vincent Macaigne), a former art student now stuck in a series of dead end jobs, has just turned 33 and decides to finally sort out his life. In the park one day while jogging he literally bumped into Amelie (Maud Wyler) but only a few awkward words were exchanged between them before they parted ways. Arman was naturally smitten; however when he returned to the park over the next couple of weeks she was nowhere to be found, and he feared that he would never see her again.

Sure enough, Arman and Amelie are destined to meet again but whereas their first encounter was a typical instance of cinema’s Meet Cute trope, they find each other under much different circumstances she saves her from rape by two muggers at knifepoint. She nurses him back to health while he recovers from having been stabbed after making this brave decision. They begin dating after his release from hospital. The story revolves around their relationship during the seasons mentioned in its title up until it ends…and perhaps more.

Meanwhile, parallel with these events Arman’s best friend Benjamin (Bastien Bouillon) returns home one evening after going out with Arman but suffers from sudden stroke and spends several hours half concealed within bushes before being eventually discovered by someone else. With some early challenges (like a doctor whose entire evaluation seems to rest upon his awareness of who the leader of the country is, Sarkozy?), Benjamin makes a surprisingly quick and effective recovery; thanks in no small way to Katia (Audrey Bastien) a speech therapist with whom he soon has an affair. Benjamin also sometimes gets messages from his sister Lucie (Pauline Etienne) who seemingly possess telepathic skills.

That sounds very ordinary but while telling “2 Autumns, 3 Winters,” Betbeder has broken down the story into forty vignette-like parts some lasting for only a minute or two and most having a funny title with the first twenty counting towards pivotal event in Arman and Amelie’s relationship and then last twenty counting down from it. To add onto this oddity, Betbeder has some of his characters especially Arman talking directly to the audience at different times as well as shifting from speaking with others on screen to addressing viewers within the middle of sentences with such swiftness that it takes several seconds before one realizes what occurred.

Some will definitely feel that all of this amounts to little more than embellishment meant to spice up the otherwise mundane goings on. Betbeder’s take on it may be seen as a lesson from Jean-Luc Godard which he gave many years ago about an ordinary story told with such clichés, but mixed with some new narrative style in “Breathless” that actually changed the face of cinema almost forever. (To enhance further the connection between this film and those of Nouvelle Vague classics, Betbeder uses old Academy screen ratio and blends HD video and 16mm footage here.)

If nothing else, “2 Summers, 3 Winters” might have quickly become tiresome due to these gimmicks alone, but there are other things going for it as well. In fact, Betbeder’s script is often very funny and charming (the riot: chapter in which Arman makes a phone call to Amelie asking her out by mentioning that he owns a refrigerator and Bresson’s “Four Nights of a Dreamer” before dropping the big question) and when it veers into darker territory during its latter half, the shift feels completely natural instead of just being a writer trying to create drama. And while there may not be any names familiar to American audiences among them, they all have undeniable charisma and charm. Even in moments that flirt with cuteness like telepathic sister thingies are presented in a way where it kind of works.

As such, 2 Autumns, 3 Winters“ is opening amidst summer blockbuster behemoths; hence viewers desperate for movies like Edge Of Tomorrow“ will most likely ignore it. Because it isn’t based on something already known or has no famous actors taking part in it either, then it will also find it hard gaining audience acceptance within art theaters’ circuit. Let its modest but very real charms begin to work upon you. This is a witty, stylish film with some real emotional power that you should see.

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