This is an intelligent, well-directed and well-acted movie that, at its heart, just wants to have a bit of fun. Agathe, an aspiring novelist working in a Paris bookshop, wins a place at a Jane Austen writing retreat in England, run by the late author’s descendants.
Agathe’s eventual dilemma between 2 men is classic Austen – but Agathe’s real discovery is not love, but her writing voice. It’s primarily a character study, observing Agathe as she struggles to write and fully understand the world around her.
And as Agathe explains, Austen’s writing introduced women into literature as human beings rather than symbols and archetypes. Austen made women the protagonists of her stories, taking their romantic and financial concerns seriously.
As it turns out, our main character is wrong. Jane Austen didn’t wreck her life. She opened it up to the possibilities that were right in front of her.
FRANCE
French and English with English subtitles
1 hour and 38 minutes.
