Ive been trying to take back the phrase “going in blind”, which is used by so many sighted people to just mean “I have no idea what this is, but I’m doing it anyway.” I literally go in blind to everything, whether I know what it is or not. But, to take the somewhat co-opted ableist approach, I went in blind on this one, both possible meanings of that phrase. Sony Pictures Classics offered me an advance of Jane Austen Wrecked My life, and I really didn’t know anything about this except for some basic logline material. The movie spends a lot of time in England, but is in French. I’ve been hoodwinked! Bamboozled! Plain old trickery is afoot. So, i requested a screener for a film that is in a language I do not speak, knowing Sony Pictures Classics doesn’t utilize the audio tab in their platform to carry any audio description tracks. I watched the thing, because it felt like asking someone to do something for me out of their way, and then just totally devaluing their work.

It is about 15% in English, and 85% in French. So, there were momens I could understand, but for the most part, what I know about the film is what anyone could read on IMDb. An aspiring author who works at a bookstore in France is surprised when her best friend submits her work to a prestigious Jane Austen writers retreat, where she’s accepted, and naturally meets a cute guy. A romantic comedy ensues.

The problem is, unlike with some advance screeners where they just assume no critics require accessibility, when I looked at my local theaters listing this film (which opens today) no one claimed an existing audio description track. So even though Sony Pictures Classics has done description for I’m Still here, kneecap, and The Teacher’s Lounge recently, they decided not to,despite a decent chunk of the dialogue being in English. So, I’m reviewing a film my target demographic really can’t enjoy. But, I still feel compelled to follow through on any film I’ve requested a screener for. Really, my biggest topic is that I enjoyed the score. It was lovely. i basically enjoyed it the whole film.

Jane Austen didn’t wreck my life, but being reliant upon others who determine which films I get to see or not see, by providing or not providing audio description absolutely wrecks my life. I miss watching International cinema. I wish more of these global opinions were audio described.

Addendum: While the initial review is intact as listed above, the grade has changed. I received this film as part of Sony Pictures Classics For Your consideration package, and it had audio description. A rewatch of the film, having my accessibility needs met, let me find out that the film is often charming, with some excellent situational and observational comedy. My favorite sequence has to be a sex scene, where our female lead seems more interested in the historic setting around her than the man she is sleeping with. It isn’t a laugh a minute, and I prefer Bridget Jones, but this was lightly delightful.

Fresh: Final Grade: 6.6/10