'Jane Austen Wrecked My Life' is an Enjoyable Dive into Literature's Reader Influence

I may be a film critic, but that doesn't make me the biggest Jane Austen fan. I don't dislike her books; they just never appealed to me. Probably because I'm a full-blooded straight male who gravitates towards action flicks, mob films, heavy dramas, and depressing literature from Cormac McCarthy and George Orwell. I can't name a single Jane Austen book aside from Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Having said all that, you don't necessarily have to be a Jane Austen person to find the appeal in this film. Jane Austen Wrecked My Life is a movie not only about the love of literature but how our perceptions of such books can complicate our lives.

The movie begins with its protagonist, Agathe Robinson (Camille Rutherford), dancing around the bookstore she works in while listening to music. It's a long opening credit sequence that establishes that this movie is going to be slow cinema. It doesn't flash through the opening credits or let you know in a short scene where Agathe works. One interesting note to take in is that the film doesn't feature a score. The only time we hear music is digitally. The intention is for each scene in the film to play out like little moments in someone's life instead of drummed-up dramatic Hollywood scenes. The film is unconventional in that it leans heavily on the viewer being involved with or at least interested in literature. Many literary quotes are mentioned in the movie that I didn't have the time to write down, since the movie is heavily subtitled. On a side note, when making subtitles, don't make them so small. Whether you're seeing the movie on a big screen or a small one, you'll have difficulty reading it. Also, don't make the font white set against a white background with no gray border around the words. It just makes everything impossible to read, leaving the audience out on crucial details.

Agathe doesn't live a very glamorous life. She helps take care of her sister's kid while living in her house. Agathe is very sheltered. She doesn't get out much, is uncomfortably straightforward, and has various phobias. One of which is that she can't ride in cars. Later in the film, we learn it's because of a family tragedy that shaped her into who she is now. One day, Agathe gets a letter from a prestigious writing retreat to join them, where she can write her book. Agathe is reluctant to go at first. But her friends and family convince her she must. When she arrives, Agathe stays in a gorgeous estate that looks like Downton Abbey.

Here, you think the movie is going to go in a certain direction, and it does, but not at first. When Agathe stays at her dream home, she's fraught with conflict. Agathe suffers from writer's block and is entangled in a relationship between her love interest at home, Felix (Pablo Pauly), and one of the estate's residents, Oliver (Charlie Anson). Yet throughout her time, she learns how to connect with people more, but it comes as too little, too late for Agathe. Towards the film's final minutes, it takes a resonant direction with wonderful nuance. It becomes a film about how our idealized world from the literature we consume doesn't turn out the way we want it to. Especially when we self-destruct. Even when given multiple opportunities to break free from our comfort zone are given. The decisions Agathe makes are believable and heartbreaking, leaving a distinct Indie film stamp that's more subtle than joyful.

That's until the final scenes come along, which race to the finish line with a convenient closure that conflicts with the unconventionality of most of the film. It becomes more about fairytales living happily ever after instead of real-life situations. The film would have been far more interesting if it had gone for a more melancholic reaction. Perhaps one that still ends in hope. Unfortunately, it ends like a Hollywood film that makes sense but is far more interested in pleasing an audience than digging at something deeper. Aside from the sell-out ending, the majority of Jane Austen Wrecked My Life is a cute little dramady that features a complicated protagonist who resembles intricate themes that will keep you interested.

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life will release in Chicago this Friday, May 23, and releases wide on Thursday, May 29.