Pleasures of Life
If you are a fan of foreign films, this is a French Classic for the patient viewer who wants to view life from a spiritual perspective. In this movie, the members of a church, seem to have chosen a very simple existence. Bread and Ale are common fare and a real French dinner seems sinful to them.<br /><br />There are many scenes of singing hymns and living a simple life. The main story revolves around two women who instead of finding love and a life of their own, choose to stay with their father and help him in his ministry. Even after their father has moved on to eternity, they are consumed with charitable work and never start their own families.<br /><br />One year, a lady from France is sent to find them to seek refuge from certain death in Paris. Babette suppresses her own desires and cooks what the two women want until one day she wins the lottery and asks them if she can cook dinner for what would have been their father's 100th birthday. They grant her this wish and then soon feel regret and even fear that they will be punished for experiencing such pleasure.<br /><br />What happens next surprises us all. I don't want to spoil a single minute, but there<br />are some really funny lines near the end. This movie has a subtle charm of its own.<br /><br />Oh, to have been Babette!<br />What fun she had making others happy.<br />What a beautiful spirit she portrays.<br /><br />A profound statement of human kindness. This movie will leave you with a sense of peace and purpose. It will change the way you think about life.<br /><br />~TheRebeccaReview.com