This movie is so much more than a straightforward biopic or a straightforward romance. If you focus entirely on plot, you might find yourself unsatisfied.
The charm of this film lies in its themes. In particular, the duality of Coco is very compelling (whether historically accurate or not). Here is a woman who is driven by love yet unlovable due to her social status. She has a strong business sense, yet is denied a business role by a male-dominated society. She delights in fashion and wishes to interact with high society, yet she herself is a misfit. She is proud yet lives the life of a concubine. She designs fashions to exaggerate beauty yet does it with simplicity, contrary to the Victorian excesses of the times.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. This film is very much about a person who is conflicted yet manages to eke out a successful existence. It remains to be seen (and is largely up to your interpretation) whether or not it's a 'happy' life, but one way or another, it's a very realistic life, and with this in mind I found the film to be very satisfying.
Other themes are more subtle but just as compelling. The film takes us to an isolated and minimalistic world (75% of the film exists on a lone estate on the outskirts of Paris). Coco herself is given a vague childhood & dubious past. She escapes these limitations by fabricating stories about herself, a different one for each occasion (much like an outfit?). In that respect it reminded me of "Impromptu", the movie about Chopin, which is set on a lone European estate on a rainy weekend and highlights the imagination & drama that artists get themselves into when locked up for too long.
Other movies that have similar themes & presentation are "La Môme" (about singer Edith Piaf), "Man on the Moon" (about comedian Andy Kaufman) and "Frida" (about painter Frida Kahlo), all of which I recommend in addition to "Coco".
The charm of this film lies in its themes. In particular, the duality of Coco is very compelling (whether historically accurate or not). Here is a woman who is driven by love yet unlovable due to her social status. She has a strong business sense, yet is denied a business role by a male-dominated society. She delights in fashion and wishes to interact with high society, yet she herself is a misfit. She is proud yet lives the life of a concubine. She designs fashions to exaggerate beauty yet does it with simplicity, contrary to the Victorian excesses of the times.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. This film is very much about a person who is conflicted yet manages to eke out a successful existence. It remains to be seen (and is largely up to your interpretation) whether or not it's a 'happy' life, but one way or another, it's a very realistic life, and with this in mind I found the film to be very satisfying.
Other themes are more subtle but just as compelling. The film takes us to an isolated and minimalistic world (75% of the film exists on a lone estate on the outskirts of Paris). Coco herself is given a vague childhood & dubious past. She escapes these limitations by fabricating stories about herself, a different one for each occasion (much like an outfit?). In that respect it reminded me of "Impromptu", the movie about Chopin, which is set on a lone European estate on a rainy weekend and highlights the imagination & drama that artists get themselves into when locked up for too long.
Other movies that have similar themes & presentation are "La Môme" (about singer Edith Piaf), "Man on the Moon" (about comedian Andy Kaufman) and "Frida" (about painter Frida Kahlo), all of which I recommend in addition to "Coco".