"Belle Époque" is the story of
Paradise; too good to last. It is about discovering life, real
life. By that I mean: freedom, art, sex, friendship... all things
that make life interesting. It is an oasis. It is also about what
the French call "l´embarras du choix": the difficulty of choosing.
It deals with the question of why we must choose, with the limits
to freedom, with the limits of happiness, with the marvelous
imperfection of life. Perhaps the film occurred to me on a day when
I hadn't read the newspapers. Perhaps the film is too idealistic
but I have always believed that one of the objectives of cinema
should be to give pleasure and joy to the public. I don't want to
make people think about how terrible life is. I'd rather leave that
for another day. I like to hear the audience laughing in the
darkness of the movie theater. That is the best possible music to
my ears.
FERNANDO TRUEBA.