| Overall Grade: |
A- |
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| Story: |
A |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
B+ |
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| Visuals: |
A- |
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Growing Up Fast in France
by richard (movies profile)
Mar 9, 2005
This is a melancholy French movie about a close family facing the very sudden news that one of their four sons is HIV positive. Set in a small rural town on the coast of Britanny, the story revolves around the relationship of the youngest son, twelve year old Marcel, with Leo, the older brother striken with AIDS. The family tries to shelter the young Marcel from any news of his brother's illness. But, like any twelve year old, Marcel does not miss much. He has caught the gist of the situation and proceeds to act out in a variety of ways in his sorrow at the new reality and in reaction to everyone's stonewalling him about it. There is a lesson here for all parents. There is an appropriate time to treat even rather young children as adults and be frank with them about difficult subjects. Marcel is a complete charmer, at turns childish and wise beyond his years. When he is excluded from a midnight ocean skinny dip by his three older siblings, he follows them to the beach demanding his right to be one of guys. Handsome striken Leo is not having an easy time with things either. He is reluctant to allow his family into the intense inner turmoil of his new situation and affects a terse sullenness. He ultimately refuses to take the drugs prescribed for him and surrenders to fatalism about his prospects. His attitude seems to be "let's get this over with." Still, the doom and gloom is redeemed by the portrayal of the tight family unit that all pulls together in the crisis. Admittedly, French movies can be "not to the taste" of every American moviegoer. But, I thought this one was brilliant on almost every score. My only complaint was the rapidity of events in the last minutes of the movie. There was a fast forward in the timeline that seemed to leave a lot of questions unanswered. But, the predicate had been laid for the ending in earlier scenes and I suppose the director felt "enough said." |
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