If you’re after some proper yearning, a love triangle, or a modern rom-com with a period drama twist, Jane Austen Wrecked My Life might just be your perfect next watch.

The film hits all the rom-com notes we love: the ‘enemies to lovers’ trope, slow-burn tension, and offbeat humour. But it also offers something more: a heroine who does not need fixing. There is no dramatic makeover here, just a woman learning to own exactly who she is. Now out in UK cinemas, this French film stars Camille Rutherford, Charlie Anson and Pablo Pauly, and has just earned director Laura Piani the ‘Best Debut Film’ award at the Festival du Film de Cabourg.

READ OUR REVIEW OF JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE HERE

We caught up with Piani to talk about that eye-catching title, why romantic comedies are so often looked down on in the film industry, and how Camille Rutherford completely won her over for the role of Agathe.

Agathe, hopelessly clumsy yet charming, and full of contradictions, dreams of experiencing love akin to a Jane Austen novel. Instead she finds herself stuck in desperate singlehood, spending her days working in the legendary British bookshop, Shakespeare & Co in Paris, rather than pursuing her own ambitions of becoming a novelist. But when an unexpected invitation to the Jane Austen Writers’ Residency in England lands in her lap, Agathe is in for an eye-opening and life-changing experience. Encouraged to confront her insecurities and explore her true romantic, sexual and creative nature, in part thanks to her eccentric co-residents, Agathe realises it’s time to stop wasting her sentimental life and take control – over both her writing aspirations, and her very own love story.

Check the full interview below:

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life is in UK cinemas now.

SUPPORT US!!! WE ARE A SMALL, INDEPENDENT FILM WEBSITE WITH NO BIG BACKERS, SO IF YOU LOVE OUR SITE AND OUR WRITERS, PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING US TO KEEP FILM JOURNALISM ALIVE!

Continue Reading