The first in a trilogy of films of women seeking fulfillment from without, and it's a tough watch. It is slow and strange and it is hard to believe, but it is often enjoyable and certainly thought-provoking. It seems best to view it as an allegory. Our protagonist's search for love is expressed through her desperate attempts to find a holiday romance. There is very little hope that anything genuine will occur, and when she comes close to achieving what she wants she proves herself rather difficult to love. So a pattern is established of increased effort and diminishing returns. With each man she pursues, failure to succeed in love seems more inevitable. It must get harder each time to maintain her determination, but her optimism never wains. And here is where the true message lies. More than being about love, I felt the story was a study of hope and optimism. Various characters advise each other "give it a try", as if trying doesn't cost anything. For me this raised the question "when is it better not to try?"
So, for a film that purports to be about finding nirvana through love, I was surprised that its commentary on the subject was very slight. I lost interest by the end, as the attempts became more ridiculous and more futile. I felt it touched on the issue that love is not something one should seek to receive, rather something one should seek to give...and yet it didn't quite address this fully.
See this film if you like frequent nudity and sexual themes. There are many laugh out loud moments, but overall it is pretty tough-going and the rewards are few.
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