Amazon.com video review:
The long shadow of Malle's autobiographical memoir of occupied
France continues to fall heavily across subsequent representations of
World War II, boarding school, and male adolescence--in fact, it would
be difficult to identify a recent film that addresses these concerns
and does not, in some substantial way, echo Au Revoir Les
Enfants. The straightforward, unsentimental, gutsy Enfants
finds its 12-year-old protagonist, Julien Quentin, sheltered from the
conflict in a Catholic school. His classmate Jean, a new arrival,
becomes first a competitor, then a beloved friend. Jean, however,
hides a secret from his classmates and the Gestapo; evenly, subtly,
Malle creates an atmosphere of hovering and inescapable danger. It
won't take you more than a few frames to guess Jean's "secret," and
many of the plot points here are too telescoped. Nevertheless, the
plainspoken courage with which Malle tells his story remains wholly
engrossing. The cinematography here is masterful and drunk with
childlike wonder, alternating claustrophobic, wood-paneled church
interiors with vivid, occasionally frightening outdoor vistas. And
never is it more affecting than in the chilling scene where Justin
gets lost in the woods during a seemingly innocent game of
capture-the-treasure; trees and rocks flash by the running boy with an
austere, impersonal beauty. Winner of seven Cesars (the French Oscars)
in 1997, including Best Picture. It's in French, with subtitles; but
don't let that scare you away. --Miles Bethany
