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
