Review: Marie Antoinette

Once upon a time, I knew Sofia Coppola only as a little girl acting very poorly in the third installment of a trilogy that should have probably only been a twofer. Years later she released a movie called The Virgin Suicides, which I watched with a skeptical eye and disliked immensely (though have since learned to appreciate for the well-crafted, haunting piece that it is). In 2003, she released Lost in Translation, which instantly became one of my personal favourite movies, and will no doubt go down in cinematic history as one of the first great triumphs of the new century.

Why do I bring this up? Well, because Marie Antoinette is as much about Sofia Coppola as it is its title character. This is, definitively, the film of an auteur, and you can feel Coppola's presence and influence in each and every frame. Every word. Every note of music. There is, compared to many movies, minimal dialog, but at no point does the film feel spare. The rich location (filmed not on a set, but in Versailles itself), the musical choices (criticized by many, but evocatively perfect to my ear), the pacing, lighting, framing; all serve to bring about an almost visceral connection to the characters and period.

Of course, one would be remiss not to at least mention the acting, as it was a treasure as well. Kirsten Dunst is perfect as Marie Antoinette. No ands, ifs, or buts about it. She just... glows. It's cheesy to say it, and that makes me loathe to do so, but she does. She's radiant and charming and heartbreaking and just plain glows. Jason Schwartzman, I actually doubted from the trailers, but in the film as a whole, was quite convincing. Judy Davis was, to borrow a phrase, fabulously douchey as the Contesse de Noailles. And Rose Byrne was a delight as lady in waiting Duchesse de Polignac, bringing more energy and light to the screen than I've seen from her in some time.

Definitely see this movie, and definitely do so on the big screen. Your eyes and ears will thank you.