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Under the Rainbow (Au bout du conte)
Director: Agnès Jaoui
Country: France
CIFF Screenings: October 15, 2013 (5:00pm), October 21, 2013 (3:30pm)
Under the Rainbow mixes fantasy-like fairy tales into a modern day love story. Unfortunately, once the allure of deciphering fairy tale tropes (enchanted godmothers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, evil stepparents, etc.), the main plot begins to feel thin predictable, and boring.
Laura is a young woman looking for her Prince Charming, her knight in shining armor. When she finds Sandro at a party, cheesily under an angel statue pointing directly at him, it’s love at first sight for the two. As their romance begins to blossom, Laura is tempted away from the aspiring musician by Maxime, a well-known musician in his own right. As Maxime both steals Laura away and helps Sandro’s career, Laura’s aunt, Marianne, and Sandro’s father, Pierre, establish a subplot of their own as Marianne attempts to become more independent of her ex-husband’s influence while Pierre faces the prospect of his death in a few days (prophesied by a psychic 20 years prior).
I’ll admit, the film’s clever use of the fairy tale tropes added an interesting gimmick to the film. However, that’s all it is: a gimmick. Once the shine begins to fade away, and the warm romance between Sandro and Laura begins to crumble, Under the Rainbow becomes a melancholic romantic comedy/drama. I loved how every primary character had some sort of connection or plot line intersect with another’s, yet the culmination of the film felt empty.
Score: 
5 out of 10