A Happy Event (2011)

A Happy Event (2011)
Directed by: Remi Bezançon
Country: France / Belgium

Review: Rémi Benzançon is known for his heartwarming movies, mixing naturally comedy and drama. “A Happy Event” has all these features but didn’t achieve the brightness and grace of his prior work: “The First Day of The Rest of Your Life”. The eagerness in making all the situations look gentle, charming or delicate, ended up in a quite sentimental analysis of how your life can be affected after having a baby. The story aroused some curiosity during the first half, but from then on, it wilted, never attaining truly high moments. Despite this mishap, all the phases of a pregnancy were analyzed with meaning, from a feminine perspective: starting with happiness and optimism, then experiencing fear and expectation, and ending with restraint, disillusion and tiredness. Unfortunately, the adopted approach betrayed the possibility of “A Happy Event” being a better movie.