Agathe (Camille Rutherford) opens a letter, reading that she can spend two weeks at a retreat, specifically, a writer’s retreat, which is odd for someone who thinks of herself as a dabbler. Dragging her feet to a retreat that has a Jane Austen theme, everyone expected someone older. One of them is Oliver (Charlie Anson). He is Austen’s great nephew who, surprisingly, isn’t her biggest fan. Because it’s a retreat, they keep running into each other, and they get to know each other.

This feels like an easy enemies to lovers setup but this is when complications start, as Agathe’s employee/ other romantic prospect Felix (Pablo Pauly) crashes the retreat to everyone’s surprise. OK, maybe surprise is a wrong word but the other writers want to know who she’s with. Agathe, however, feels like the matter of her returning writer’s block is more important to her. If she leaves the retreat, will she sabotage the two things she isn’t good at until recently – her chance for love and finally finishing her first novel?

There are a few good things about Laura Piani’s new film, especially its use of language, because when two characters speak English and another language, English wins out, but not here. The other characters accommodate this Francophile but Jane Austen Wrecked My Life shows those limits. The one thing stopping Agathe from belonging amongst the other writers is her inner saboteur. Voice-overs contrast the conventionally good political writing to her supposedly few romantic ‘drabbles’.

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life has its share of filler but my reservations against it mostly disappear with Agathe. Going into an Austen-themed retreat is the most conventionally feminine thing one can think of except it’s not. The staff isn’t using the retreat as a tourist trap and take their writers seriously. The film has its moments when it dresses up Agathe but for the most part, there’s a modern cool to her look. My only grievance about her is that she doesn’t stand up for herself.

There are other bothersome aspects to Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, like its conventional camerawork. But then again, it’s difficult to capture with innovation a 21st century writer with a laptop. The love triangle aspect also becomes too easy near the end, especially with some negative characterization. Otherwise, Agathe is a compelling human in a film that mostly delivers much more than two dimensional archetypes. One can either prioritize the political or the romantic and still be a modern woman.

Watch Jane Austen Wrecked My Life in select Canadian theatres.