Emma Peeters (Nicole Palo, 2018): Canada | Belgium

Reviewed by Gloria Kaye. Viewed at the 2019 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Emma Peeters is a successful romantic comedy that cleverly deals with the serious topic of suicide.  Skillfully directed, this is her second film, with Emma being five years in the making.

Playfully examined, the themes were a courageous undertaking: unfilled career aspirations, the despair of turning 35, depression, and suicide.  Emma decides to plan her own funeral and seeks the help of a nerdy funeral director.  He is sympathetic to her needs and they proceed to make arrangements for her death, which is scheduled to take place in a week.  Emma creates a to do list which she needs to fulfill before her demise.  The list includes having sex one more time and after a hasty drink with the funeral director, Emmett suggests that they go to her apartment and they have functional sex.

The setting is in Paris, and the streets are quaint, just as you would expect.  As the relationship with the funeral director develops, he picks her up in a decorated hearse and they have a night on the town. It is Emma’s last night, and she thoroughly enjoys herself, dancing with a number of partners.  The funeral director is heartbroken, and very drunk.  They again go back to her apartment and this time they make love.

A number of comical incidents unite them, and Emma has second thoughts about suicide.  The funeral director professes his love for Emma, and the last comical scene takes place with the back of the hearse decorated with a big heart of roses.  They drive off into the sunset and supposedly live happily ever after.

The director was inspired by her own frustration and unfulfilled career aspirations to create Emma.  Nicole, the director, was quite revealing.  She felt less supported by her female colleagues than by her male counterparts.  I have been in a similar situation and found that my female colleagues were less supportive, and in some cases, contemptuous.  When I experienced this, I was convinced that jealousy was at the root of this negative behavior.

It was a joy to meet Nicole.  She has dealt with very serious topics in a sophisticated, insightful way. Turning 35 is not a calamity, nor is the disappointment of an unsuccessful career.  I would wholeheartedly recommend this delightful, well-crafted romantic comedy.