This film is distinguished by its romantic mood and even some infantilism. It is perfect for joint viewing in the evening with your soul mate. “A Good Year” is a romantic and at the same time comedic story based on the novel by Peter Meil, the events of which were filmed in French Provence and English London.
It is in the estate of his uncle in France that the very young Max Skinner rests, where he learns to understand life and appreciate simple, at first glance, things, and also watches with interest the process of making wine. After the death of his uncle, Max becomes a strong and courageous young man, he travels from London (where he moved earlier) to Provence to decide what to do with the inheritance. In London, he dealt with the stock exchange, and quite unexpectedly, his boss called him to him, and urgently. Max had no choice but to take a few photos of the estate and return to London, but suddenly he stumbles over something and falls into an empty pool. He can’t get out of there because the pool is deep enough. Suddenly, Fanny Chenal appears, whom he hit with a bicycle a few days ago – she turns on the taps, and the water fills the pool. Such was the girl’s revenge for the boy’s inattention. In the end, Max got out of the pool, but missed the plane, respectively, for a meeting with the boss. He got angry and forbade Max to work for a whole week. All this because of Fanny.
Having begun the process of selling the estate, Max also discovers that the grapes planted by his uncle are worth nothing, and the finished wine is completely tasteless. But, having somehow gone down to the cellar, he finds a bottle of wine. In the future, Christy, a young American, Max’s half-sister, learns that this is a drink of the highest quality. This wine is made according to a Provencal recipe, but no one knows the person who came up with this recipe. Max begins to look after the same Fanny – the owner of the restaurant. She also notes that the taste of this drink is incredible and the wine itself is shrouded in webs of legends. They spend the night together, and the next morning they part, because love at a distance is not an easy task.
Max returns to London and there, constantly thinking about Provence, he forges his uncle’s handwriting and rewrites the estate for Christie, he sells an apartment in London, receives a huge compensation from his boss and returns to Fanny. Together they continue the work of Uncle Henry – they are engaged in winemaking.
After living for several weeks at his uncle’s estate, Max no longer returns to his previous outlook on life. He is no longer attracted by freedom, the opportunity to earn huge money and live in the apartment of his dreams. He increasingly likes the silence of the Provencal villages, the unhurried life of the villages, the interesting and mysterious occupation of winemaking. Moreover, constant thoughts about Fanny haunted Max. Their story began with Max hitting her with his bike. It also happens in real life – the best friends and subsequently spouses are those who met and began their friendship not under the most pleasant circumstances. This is the law of our life – the most unpleasant, in our opinion, people can play a major role in our existence.
The film has a hidden meaning – we are not always really happy where we are now. Sometimes you need to rethink everything and ask yourself “What do I really want?” This is exactly what Max did, and subsequently remained happy, because he was next to his beloved, who reciprocates and supports him.
The meaning of the film, to put it briefly, is “Listen to your heart”. After all, no one knows better than you that you are actually comfortable. The same applies to your favorite business and outlook on life – no one has the right to indicate and decide for you. We are responsible for our lives and our choices. We need to live here and now without listening to anyone, because life is shorter than we think. If you constantly listen to others and think “what will people think of me”, then you can accidentally wake up at the end of your life, surrounded by unfulfilled dreams and lost hopes.
The film is certainly inspiring and easy to watch even in the family circle. He encourages his viewer to appreciate and listen to the most important thing – his heart.
