As I'm writing this review, my eyes are wet and my heart is numb. We don't often get to see a movie that touches your soul and makes you wonder the things you take for granted and what actually matters at the end. A beautifully written film with equally beautiful performance and direction. If you ever feel low or happy too just watch this film.
Plot summary
Paris, 2009. Raphaël is a high school student who pass the days with his best friend Felix at the same time that he tries to end his first Sci-Fi novel when by chance he meets Olivia, another student fan to play piano. After a first magical encounter between them, Raphaël finds in her the inspiration to end the novel. Ten years later, 2019, the novel have been turned in a famous Sci-Fi saga and Raphaël in a best-selling writer with a successful career including apparitions in TV and Internet. Therefore, he turned in a man full of himself without space for any other, and the marriage with Olivia is each time more cold and distant. After to finish his last book and talk with Olivia about to end the relation, they both go to sleep. To the next morning, Raphaël wakes up to find himself in an alternate reality: he works as teacher in a public high school of with the too teacher Felix, is related with Mélanie (another teacher of his school),his career as writer not exists, and Olivia is a famous pianist that doesn't recognizes him. Unable to accept this new world as real and without the remembers of these alternate ten years, Raphaël tells Felix the truth asking him help to know how was his life in this alternate world. Wanting to turn back and recover his previous life, Raphaël finds a possible solution: recover Olivia making that she fall in love him again. Pretending to be a ghost writer of celebrities' biographies interested on her, Raphaël meets Olivia to know her history, but then he discovers an unexpected trouble: Olivia has engaged to her agent, Marc. If Raphaël doesn't hurry, it's possible that he never can recover the life that he had.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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This film touched a very deep chord of my heart
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Pleasant romantic comedy
A nice and fresh romance comedy, in her French ways - which is a good change from the standard Hollywood one!
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Two Hours Well Spent
Raphael has everything a man needs for a happy life - a successful writing career, plenty of fans and a devoted wife Olivia. He doesn't seem to understand the sacrifices Olivia has made to help him build his career, putting aside her own ambition... until one day Raphael wakes up in a world where he is a humble school teacher and Olivia is a world famous concert pianist. More than this - she doesn't even know who Raphael is. Will they be able to reunite? And at what cost?
The "What if" premise is the signature style of a French romantic comedy. LOVE AT SECOND SIGHT, however, examines an interesting dilemma - does one of the spouses always have to sacrifice his or her own ambition for the other to succeed? And can the cycle be broken?
Apart from this interesting premise the film doesn't have much in store. Action does not propel the protagonists' relationship forward and there's a lack of quirky hilarious and engaging situations that make romantic comedy really work.
Both Francois Civil and Josephine Japy look great in front of the camera but lack chemistry. They work better as best friends than future lovers. They are also too beautiful to be believable as an average couple.
LOVE AT SECOND SIGHT is something you have seen many times before, and there's little to praise beyond its high concept premise. As a piece of entertainment, however, it works rather well and never feels dull. If you love romantic comedies with a twist it may be two hours well spent.