Mister-E-Mann

I seldom review for IMDb but, after watching Jatt & Juliet 3, I felt motivated to warn prospective viewers against this movie. I enjoyed Jatt & Juliet 1 and 2, and I find both Diljit Dosanjh and Neeru Bajwa to be very charismatic, so I naively went to the cinema to watch the third installment with the expectation of a having a good time.

Unfortunately, it felt to me like the movie was two hours too long. The stars fell in love with each other within the first ten minutes, and the obstacles set up to impede the development of their relationship felt forced. Thus, for much of its length, I thought that the movie was merely delaying the obvious, despite the fact that there might or might not be a twist at the end.

At times, the movie was aggravating due to the characters' constant lying, shouting, and arguing. At other times, it was simply boring. There was also a scene where two brothers use blackface to deceive two women of African descent into going out with them. You might expect such a scene in a 1924 movie but not in a 2024 one.

Another commenter found it surprising to see Diljit Dosanjh in such a tedious movie at this stage of his career. I agree. The charming actor has appeared in many other movies that are far superior.

The movie seems like an attempt to represent Quebec for a French audience, with an emphasis on what's unusual about the province's language, landscape, religious and working practices, etc. There's a lot of music and singing as well (including "Alouette" and other familiar songs of the times), with ultimately only a wisp of a story.

The title character, Maria Chapdelaine, is in love with François Paradis, and has to deal with his absence as he leaves to earn his livelihood as a fur trapper over the winter months. I won't say more about the story, because I would spoil the few surprises that it has to offer.

Unless you have a fascination for rural life in Quebec in the 1930s, you will find the movie slow going.