Un Balcon sur la mer (Balcony on the Sea)

This is a movie that answers the two part question: If you could meet the love of your childhood years later... would you know them and what would you do?

The flashbacks woven throughout the movie are beautiful (shot in Algeria) and it tells the story of not two childhood sweethearts but three. This is a movie that showcases Jean in a role that gives us a glimpse of what we could expect from him just a year later in "The Artist" because his expressions show far more than his words say and every emotion he expresses is completely believable. If you have any doubts, his scene on the rooftop, as the adult Marc, will definitely erase them.

Marie-Josee is caught in two roles... the woman Marc thinks she is and the woman she knows she is. He believes her to be Cathy... his childhood love when, in reality, she is Marie-Jeanne, Cathy's best friend... and the third person in this romance. Her struggle is that she loves Marc and always has but was too shy to say. I believe that their lives, getting more and more complex... due to the fantasy they allowed to happen... eventually leaves her no choice but to tell Marc who she truly is and why she pretended.

This is a movie, subtitles on or off, that you get the meaning of: sometimes childhood dreams & fantasies that aren't left in childhood can cause havoc in the adult life when allowed to come true.

Another french movie with an interesting premise - exotic locales and excellent acting held my interest every moment of this movie. Is there any character Jean Dujardin can't play with touching believabilty? Marc seems the perfect man in a perfect job, with a perfect homelife and career, until someone arrives at his job who triggers deep passionate memories long suppressed. The acting is great and the score gorgeous. Really nice cinematography too. Was this movie made for TV? It sure doesn't look like it!! I'm so happy to have it in my growing collection of "Jean Dujardin films!"