**Despite being nice and visually beautiful, it is a film full of problems.**

I don't think you need to be a historian or an art lover to recognize that the Palace of Versailles is one of the most iconic European buildings, not only because of the impact it had (it was copied throughout almost all of Europe and still serves as an inspiration to many artists and architects) but also for the mysticism it contains, as the height of luxury, sophistication and power, centralized and ritualized. It's more than a building, it's a symbol.

This film focuses its attention on the enormous garden and park of the palace, and invents a nice story around them, which says more about our mentality than about the people of those times. Don't get me wrong: the film is enjoyable, but we must never assume that it is a historical film, or that any of the situations occurred in real life. It's fiction, and so are most of the characters. The king existed, of course, but it would be difficult for him to pass for a gardener in his own palace. The gardens were designed by André Le Nôtre, and he was also the author of the gardens of the Tuileries, in Paris, and the gardens of the palaces of Chantilly, Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte. But he was an old man at the time the film takes place, not the dapper man played by Matthias Schoenaets. Madame de Montespan and Madame de Maintenon existed, but the latter was older than the former, contrary to what this film suggests. Sabine de Barra never existed, and a woman would have never been admitted to service in that job. There are no feminisms in this society.

Another problem with this film is its central theme: order and chaos in the garden of Versailles. If we're honest about it, there's no room for chaos in a garden like this. Everything was thought and planned, even the time when Orangerie plants are kept in a greenhouse! The very space that Sabine de Barra creates in this film (which is, in fact, a Le Nôtre's work, the “Bosquet de la Salle du Ball”) is pure order. The French formal garden with topiaries, neat flower beds, sanded walks, is order. Where is the chaos anyway?

The best thing about this film is, in fact, the enormous quality of its cast. Kate Winslet is impeccable and does a very good job, along with director/actor Alan Rickman and Stanley Tucci. It's Matthias Schoenaets who gets the paint dirty: not only is he too young for the role of Le Nôtre, he doesn't have any romantic chemistry with Winslet. Incidentally, the problem lies more in the poor conception of the characters, who think and behave like people of the 21st century, most of the time (this includes some inappropriate sex scenes, like that scene inside the carriage... how uncomfortable it can be to make it inside a carriage from that period!). Helen McCrory is another problem. She does what she can, but her character is clichéd and only serves to give her husband more reason to throw himself into another woman's lap.

On a technical level, I really liked the sets, all shot in the UK, without setting foot in France. It was not necessary. The costumes are also very good, and I didn't notice any glaring or unforgivable anachronisms in the costumes, props or scenery. The cinematography is regular, as are the dialogues. The soundtrack isn't bad, it does its job skillfully.

A little chaos is a film set in the time of Louis XIV, which mixes elements of pure fiction with historical facts.
The main character of the story is Sabine De Barra (Kate Winslet), an exterior designer who is summoned by the king’s gardener, André Le Nôtre (Matthias Schoenaerts), to give life to a magnificent garden in the palace of Versailles.
Although the style of Le Nôtre is more tied to symmetry and rules, while that of Sabine to chaos (she, in fact, makes her creations blend harmoniously with the surrounding nature), the two manage to create the most beautiful ballroom outdoor dance ever existed.

Sabine de Barra is a complex character, traumatized by a past that she has not managed to overcome yet. Le Nôtre is, instead, a man perpetually under pressure because of the power that the king and his wife have over him. The two will find comfort in each other not without difficulty.
I did not particularly appreciate the acting of Kate Winslet even though it was considered very good by the critics. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by that of Alan Rickman, who made sporadic appearances as Louis XIV and by Jennifer Ehle as the king’s lover.
The themes of the movie are many, but that of feminism is more prominent, things that make the film modern. The protagonist herself is a completely invented character that could not have existed in that environment. This choice represents the current progress against the patriarchal society and the will to give back women the long denied importance.

The rhythm of the narration is sometimes slow even if overall it is a successful movie.
The costumes are wonderful and the locations quite adequate despite the fact the film was shot entirely in London and never in France. The title of the film, in fact, in addition to indicating the mixture of the styles of the two royal gardeners, one characterized by rules and the other by chaos, also represents the chaos that is generated when an English film plays French. Furthermore, A little chaos can also indicate the chaos that reigned in the court of Louis XIV, especially regarding love affairs and adultery.
Having seen this film after the death of its director made me feel much more melancholy than the film itself wants to be. The figure of the king, with his problems, arouses great empathy and, above all in the scene of the flowered garden and in the final scene, it is possible to grasp the depth of the character and the immensity acting of the actor.
In short, it is a film that, despite its low budget, manages to establish itself in the heart of the viewer and to give it a few hours of pure beauty.

A fictional period drama following the work of Sabine de Barra (Kate Winslet), a landscape gardener tasked with making the outdoor ballroom at Versailles. She falls for her superior, and has to contend with class barriers as well as memories from her past.

This is well trodden territory, especially in British cinema; the period piece is a staple of the industry. It’s a shame then that this film brings very little new material to the table. The plot straddles an interesting line between fantasy and reality; the ballroom is real as are many of the characters in the film, but the lead character is not.

However, the film never exploits any of the opportunities this might present, instead choosing to stay grounded in a boring version of reality. Why make a boring fictional character when you might as well tell the story as it actually happened?

Winslet is likeable in her role, as are the supporting cast, but overall this is an uninspired piece of work from Rickman. A Little Chaos gets caught between the garden, the social workings of the elite and the romance between De Barra and her colleague. The end result is a confused film that fails to commit either way. A wishy-washy wisp of a movie.

http://benoliver999.com/film/2015/11/08/alittlechaos/

**A guide to the 17th century royal gardening!**

I am little surprised with the film, because I was not expecting this storyline. I mean a good one. You know usually periodic film means there's always romance or war, but this one proved there are more topics to revolve and to reveal to the viewers. Yes, this one mainly talks about the engineering, especially gardening. Of course, romance was a part of it, but I loved the blend between these two subjects. One of the best periodic drama I've seen and all the stars were brilliant, particularly Kate Winslet was the best. Matthias Schoenaerts and Alan Rickman was not bad either.

The tale begins with a widowed woman preparing for an interview to get the newly proposed royal gardening project. After some obstacles she gets it, but while the work is in progress, she faces some ups and downs. Besides a feeling for her boss grows intensively and also after an unexpected encounter with a royal member, things around her begins to change. So the deadline is nearing, but lots of work to complete, how she manages all the issues, including deciding about her new romance is what the rest of the narration reveals.

This is not those colourful costumed female oriented films. This is about the profession at the top and the married life issues on a small scale. My first appreciation goes to the writers and then the director. But the actors did their part as I mentioned earlier to make it happen. I would have said it is a fine family film, but the film had matured contents, so it is a fine film for the grown-ups. I definitely recommend it.

_8/10_