Sunday, January 21
Au Revior, Mon Chéri.
I just caught Au Revoir, Les Enfants on arts central...
It's a terribly heart wrenching film that plays upon the more subtle aspects of the second world war. The film is breathtakingly wonderful in how it handles its subject matter, choosing not to employ shock tactics or flamboyant displays, but instead, the nuances of human relationships are beautifully woven into the film's tapestry.
a few things about the film really amaze me.
one, how real and human the characters in the film are. they're neither romanticised nor caricatured... the film doesn't typecast its characters, it doesn't take things out of perspective, but instead retains the pure objectivity of the perspective of unjudging children.
two, how even though the characters of the film are mainly children, there is minimal attempt to manipulate peoples' sympathies unlike traditional war films with children.
three, how in spite of the heavy backdrop (the second world war), the film manages to accomplish the fleeting, transient effect it intends.
four, the gentle way things are expressed in the film. The flippant tone of a boy who comments that he might join the resistance, the plaid stance taken towards the nazis (as opposed to the traditional brutality they are associated with), and through their faint inanity, the film, like muted irony, manages to damn them without resorting to bestiality.
i don't think words can express the beauty of this film.
0. oOo
