La Copie de Coralie by Nicolas Engel

Rose pink from her lips to her motor scooter, the young Amélie Poulainesque Virginie (Jeanne Cherhal) gives a touch of colour to the copy shop of her boss, the taciturn Monsieur Conforme (Serge Riaboukine).

This greyish universe becomes, in the blink of an eye, the memory of a vanished love : a woman of whom the only remaining trace is an old photograph.

Oscillating between musical comedy and drama, Nicolas Engel dresses his second short film with an anthology of assured references. One thinks notably of L’Amour en fuite by Truffaut, the naturalist tendency of Jacques Demy, or the playful side of Rivette.

However, these beautiful promises are a bit disappointing. We regret the lack of aesthetic and narrative coherence, which sometimes gives the impression of watching a juxtaposition of discordant short comedy plays. The intrigue never reaches the dramatic intensity expected (however strongly underlined by the artistic direction – mise en scene and soundtrack), and unfortunately gets lost in irrelevant details.

We can note however the poetic usage of the urban framework (the staid French town of Angoulême ‘pop artised’) and some notes of freshness lessening the feeling of confusion emanating from the film.

Delphine Pinatel Ormsby