Happenstance

I watched an interesting movie this past weekend. It was called Happenstance (known in French as Le Battement d'ailes du papillon), and it starred Audrey Tautou, the same French actress of Amelie fame. The movie was similar to Sliding Doors, a movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow from the late 90s.

Both explore the idea of how the smallest, most insignificant things can have a huge affect on the outcome of our lives. It's an interesting idea, and one that has always intriged me. What if one moment in your life was timed just a bit differently? Would you be the same person that you are today, and if not, how would your life be different? It's an interesting question to ponder.

The two movies, while similar, explore the idea of fate a bit differently. In Sliding Doors, everything depends on whether or not Gwyneth Paltrow's character makes a particular train, and the movie shows how her life ends up in both situations. Happenstance, on the other hand, shows a series of connected events among several seemingly unrelated characters, all culminating in a final meeting of Audrey Tautou's character and her soul mate.

I'd definitely recommend seeing both of them. However, if you don't know French, or at least don't want to read subtitles, you may not really enjoy Happenstance.