Delightful Belgian comedy in the vein of Jacques Tati. Dominique and Fiona (both played by the directors of the same name) are a married couple who both teach in a rural elementary school. Their hobby is dancing the rumba, and they've won many awards for doing so. Unfortunately, after one competition, the two get in a car accident that claims the wife's leg and the husband's mind. Far from being sentimental, this film plays pretty much everything for comedy and is really just a handful of comic setpieces strung together. Like Tati and the silent comedians who influenced him, some of the comic moments seem forced, but they're all amusing. There are three dance sequences, the first two of which are completely awesome (not to demean the third). Abel and Gordon are tall, gangly people and their dances are truly unique and a wonder to behold. The film also has a wonderful, candy-colored palette and a playful sense of artificiality (like really obvious sets and the use of rear projection). The only real problem is that it, being mostly just a collection of sketches, the story is pretty thin and the resolution is a tad disappointing (despite Fiona's one leg, I was hoping for one final, real dance).
Rumba
(2008)
Doesn't feel complete, but it's still an absolute delight
31 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers