Why is this considered a 'romance' film?
He awkwardly made a move early on, she was offended, he apologized and their relationship was platonic throughout the film.
Garcon! A bucket for Monsieur!
Well, my take on it would be that it's because it's a movie about falling in love with someone but life taking you on different paths so wondering about "what might have been." I see it as the fine line between platonic and romantic love between two people. You can see throughout the movie they fall for each other but it just can't work because of many factors. It's still a "romance" just not in the Hollywood "happy ending" sense. I thought it was a lot more of a realistic portrayal of how love stories often go than most movies. How many people meet one person and end up with them for the rest of their lives? Most romances end like this, so I think most people could relate to it. Anyway, that's my thoughts but I could see how it might seem at first like it doesn't belong in the "romance" category.
share Thanks hexedd I think you nailed it. There was a mutual attraction but she refused to let it get beyond a kind of brother/sister relationship, I guess because she had a husband back home in Prague.
Garcon! A bucket for Monsieur!
No problem Heez. Yeah I think it was the combination of a husband back home, cultural differences (they hinted at this with the mother being unable to speak English and the main character's seeming unease at how guys just come over to watch t.v., which isn't "normal" to him) and the age difference, as hinted at by them both making jokes about him being an "old man." It certainly speaks to the power of culture to keep people within an "inner circle." I live in Canada and this is evident everywhere. Everyone lives pretty much peacefully with one another but at the same time although inter-marriage is on the rise, it is still relatively rare.
On another note, you may have seen them already, but if you want movies with a similar plot that are "romances" even though not in a traditional sense, check out Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004). These movies have a similar plot and are made that much more realistic by the fact that both the main actors (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) aged both in the movies and in real life. Similar story about a love that "couldn't be" for various reasons.
I've seen Before Sunrise; I seem to recall the couple spending the night together in a park or some place. If I remember correctly, it was the kind of thing where the viewer was left to speculate on whether or not anything sexual happened. Haven't seen Before Sunset.
Garcon! A bucket for Monsieur!
Definitely check out Before Sunset, it wraps it up in a similar manner to Once, and you'll see similarities, and probably ask yourself "why is this in the romance category?" :)
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