a review of 父亲的荣耀

Based on true childhood memories, La Gloire de mon père is narrated in a characteristic French film style, featuring a voice-over telling the story with poetic details, similar to classics like Le Mari de la Coiffeuse, which was released in the same year (1990). The Fin de siècle sets, wardrobes, etcetera of La Gloire de mon père are all impressively well-executed, and the overall joyful atmosphere is pleasant at first. But as the film progressed, it gradually started to bore me. The humor is a bit dated, and the story — apart from being beautifully narrated and visualized — is reasonably mediocre. It's essentially the tale of a happy family going on vacation in a rural French area around 1900, without really exciting or surprising events. The incessant joyfulness started to get a little on my cynical nerves, so I fast-forwarded some parts in the second half of the film.