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This past Sunday was a wrap on the 26th Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival here in St. Louis, Missouri. It has been a goal of mine to take advantage of French films showing in my area, and I am thankful that this festival provided that opportunity. While I wish I could have seen more than one film (I had my eye on Back to Burgundy), Lost in Paris was absolument charmant!
Before the film as I munched on my Toblerone (Toblerone and a Diet Coke... my movie going traditions...), I struck up a conversation with an elderly gentleman sitting behind me. He was interested in my experience with the French language, a passion I am always ready to discuss. After the film he said, "I'm sorry you didn't get very much French." While Lost in Paris is set in the city of lights, main character Fiona is an English speaking Canadian with limited French. While viewers definitely had the opportunity to hear French, English or a lack of dialogue were equally as present in this film.
Language aside, I will always delight in the opportunity to see Paris in all of its beauty, and the storyline of this Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon film offered some wonderful insights. In the film, Fiona travels to Paris after receiving a letter from her Aunt Martha (who had followed her dream to move from Canada to Paris when Fiona was a child). And just as the title suggests, when Fiona arrives in Paris she is lost. Very lost. I laughed out loud when Fiona asked a Parisian café server for directions. After many steps (go straight here, take the metro to this stop, then switch lines, then go left for a while, then go right...) he ended with "and from there you'll have to ask." While humorous, I couldn't help but compare this scene to life and the constant journey that seems clear at times, only to become confusing again at others.
Lost in Paris showed that on this winding life journey, it's important to find someone to stand by your side, whether that be friends, family, or a romantic companion. It is also, as Aunt Martha demonstrates, incredibly important to live life in a manner that best suits your dreams and the truest version of you, even if others may disagree. It is in this way that we can strive to achieve a full and contented life.
In the spirit of this message, my new friend (the gentleman I mentioned above) wished me a happy life on my way out of the theatre. A beautiful moment after a delightful film. :)
If you have the opportunity to see Lost in Paris in a theatre near you, I think you will very much enjoy it. I am also interested in viewing another Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon film, The Fairy. Audience members were raving about it before Lost in Paris began.
Do you have a favorite film en français? I am always interested in recommendations, so let me know in the comments below!
Merci, as always, for stopping by.
Warmest of wishes from me to you,
