MSFF: Romantics Anonymous

One of the students at work recommended this film, and it did not disappoint. It’s about a chocolate-maker and the owner of a chocolatier who both suffer from crippling shyness. Angélique is a gifted chocolatier, but she faints every time someone asks her a question about her creations, and she masquerades as a chocolate-making hermit to avoid such situations. She attends support-group meetings (which I think translated more to ‘emotional’ rather than ‘romantic’), and sings “I Have Confidence” from The Sound of Music to psych herself up and celebrate when she conquers her fears. Jean-René brings a briefcase full of extra shirts to dinners in case he needs to change them (which he does), and his therapist gives him homework along the lines of “shake hands with someone” and “invite someone to dinner.”

When Angélique goes to work for Jean-René as a saleswoman, a story that is both uncomfortable and cute unfolds. Though they’re well-suited, they can’t talk to one another long enough to figure it out. Even the almost-date they share is incredibly awkward and pretty disastrous, but it’s their push to save Jean-René’s family chocolatier that allows them to bring out the best in each other.

It’s a rom-com that doesn’t always follow typical conventions (or maybe it follows French film conventions) but makes good use of its quirkiness and sweetness. So while I appreciate Inch’Allah for its serious examination of one woman’s struggle to find a place within a very large world, Romantics Anonymous zooms in on two people who only needed to find each other, providing an entertaining evening in the process.