EIFFEL
★★
OUT 12 AUGUST / CERT 15 / 108 MINS
DIRECTOR Martin Bourboulon
CAST Romain Duris, Emma Mackey, Pierre Deladonchamps
“Life taught me to avoid surprises,” Romain Duris’ Gustave Eiffel says when showcasing the model of his iconic tower to investors, demonstrating pioneering plans to safeguard it against the elements. Unfortunately, lack of invention is exactly the problem with Eiffel. This is a semi-fictional, “freely inspired by a true story” telling of the French monument’s conception, construction and the romantic connection threaded through Eiffel’s life that (the film supposes) inspired it. Emma Mackey’s luminous in her first French-speaking role as long-lost love Adrienne, but vastly underused, and her surplus of charisma can’t make up for Duris’ dearth of it. Despite some lovely cinematography, this is a forgettable forbidden love affair.