- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,424
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
Thomas Cailley's first feature film, as director, is a charmingly modern romantic comedy, with ties firmly to (as the NY Times' Stephen Holden notes) those of Tracy and Hepburn, or possibly Stewart or Grant and Jean Arthur.
And that's all good.
One of the nice things about home theater, is that it gives small theatrical releases that might have underperformed at the box office, a second chance to be seen, and the films distributor, Strand Releasing, has given us a gift by supporting it.
And in the case of Love at First Fight, thats a Very good thing.
The on-screen sparring, sometimes literally, of Adele Haenel and Kevin Azais, makes the film a delight.
The film is not released on Blu-ray, because of the costs involved, however the DVD from Strand is very film-like, and strangely, up-converted to 4k, holds up beautifully.
It was shot with an Alexa, and there's one shot, about an hour in, that brought to mind the best William Cameron Menzies and the lighting of Freddie Young.
Love at First Fight is one of those little films that you've never heard of, but it's worth not only your time, but the price of admission.
If you don't feel comfortable taking my word for it, look at the nominations and awards:
Adele Haenel: Best Actress, Cairo Film Festival, Best Actress, Cesar Awards, a nomination for Best Actress at the Globe de Cristal Awards, a nomination for Best Actress at the Lumber Awards
Kevin Azais won several awards, inclusive of Most Promising Actor at the Cesars.
Director Cailley, won the CICAE at Cannes, along with the SACD at the Director's Fortnight. a Cesar for Best First Film...
You see where this going.
A wonderful little film, that is a joy, and...
Highly Recommended
RAH
