Here's my question: why have I not seen this film until now? It was... incredible. A boy and girl start a game of dares to distract themselves from lives that are too trying for children, and the game becomes their life. They hurt themselves and each for nearly three decades, refusing to see how much they really mean to each other.People who love Amélie will also love Jeux d'enfants. It had the same overly-bright cinematography at times, as well as the alternation of a deep intensity and a whimsical feel. Really, it was a bit of an emotional roller coaster, because you never know if you're watching a serious movie or a playful one. Even the ending seems to be a combination of two possibilities, and I'm still not entirely sure what happened. The end was definitely a shock, and it left me feeling like my heart wasn't quite beating properly -- not because of suspense, but because of the rapid changing of tone.
I love Marion Cotillard. After Audrey Tautou, she is probably my favorite French actress. Anyone who's seen La vie en rose knows that she is incredibly talented. I thought she performed especially well in this film. (Ironically "La vie en rose" was "their song" in this movie. Strange coincidence.) The male lead, Guillame Canet, I haven't seen before, although he's done lots of movies. I think he was supposed to be the protagonist, since he narrated the entire movie, but I thought Cotillard overshadowed him a bit. Still, I thought his narration was great. (This, too, reminded me of Amélie, with the narrator rambling on in what I call a "catalog narration," with giant lists of things used to describe one instance or one feeling.)
The fact that this thought-provoking, insightful, beautiful film was made by a first-time writer/director just makes it that much more impressive. I loved it. Now I must own it! To take one line from (a quite long) quote in the film, it was: "Better than banana milkshakes!" And that's saying something, if you're me.
Rating: 4.5
3 comments:
Glad you enjoyed the movies. I've been a fan of French cinema for over 5 years now.
I love the quirkiness of the script and the surprise towards the end of the film was totally unexpected, but that's what I've always loved about French cinema.
I seriously think the US film industry could learn a thing or two about the European film industry since its really taken a nose dive with regards to the quality of its films recently.
Well said, Jennifer. As an American and longtime movie goer, I'm disappointed that US films are now sequels, remakes of old TV series, and animated films for kids, featuring superheroes with odd skills, cartoon characters, criminals, Mafia leaders, and corrupt cops. These films also are made for boys 15-30, who love car crashes and flying bullets and one-on-one fighting. Any film interested in women or their issues is called a "chick flick" and men won't go to see it. Everything depends on the first weekend revenue. European films still emphasize the mysteries of the human condition. I think it's because European film-makers, and Europeans, still believe human beings can be heroes. Americans no longer believe that; we're too cynical and embittered by our fascist leadership to believe it.
Thanks for your comments about French (and European) film. I'm glad to know someone else thinks as highly of it as I do!
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