User Reviews

This film was available for streaming off Netflix so I thought I'd give it a try. This film follows a group of poor preteens whose entire world essentially revolves around their rundown government-assisted apartments, the corridors of their housing project, and the local, derelict "park." There isn't much of a plot because the purpose of the film seems more to be just an opportunity to show endangered children floundering in a world without proper supervision, role models, education, etc. But the film flounders due to a poor script and mediocre acting. None of the characters are fleshed out and some of the child actors, in particular the young female lead, lack the natural charisma and acting ability to convey both a sense of vulnerability and toughness. None of the characters are very sympathetic and there's not one mature,responsible adult in the entire film. Having said that, the film was interesting as a depiction of life for children in the downtrodden, poor areas of France's larger cities. As they lack any sense of morality and readily lie, cheat, and steal (from themselves and strangers!), their depiction should cause any right thinking, decent human being to be very afraid of the future.

One can say this film has no structure or style but I believe what Doillon hoped to achieve was to portray a story as realistically as he could. He cast children who actually lived in the French ghetto and as you can see, he didn't even change most of their names. In a way, Doillon is blending documentary and fiction.

What makes this movie so fascinating is that it is a glimpse into the world of impoverished young children and what their lives are like. In some ways, it shows how capable youth can be, which I find refreshing.

I highly recommend this film to: X those interested in contemporary society in France. If you followed the news about the riots in France last year, then you should see this film. X those interested in contemporary or French cinema X people who like foreign movies X people who want to see a movie that is a mix of genres

Jacque Dollion get's it right with this small film about a good of pre-teens who become friends despite tough circumstances.

I won't bother going into the plot because that is basically it, but the intriguing thing is that most 13 year olds who would veiw this film would understand why these kids would do what they do, whereas adults are shocked and probably would hate the film because of it. But this is how kids think and act - being un-exposed to the real world and living in a sort of half childhood and half adulthood, not really fitting in to either one, and trying to be in both.

The latest film by one of France's greatest contemporary cultural assets is usually an event to be celebrated. Unfortunately this rag-bag of street cred and cliché is the only disappointing Doillon film that I can remember.

A girl running away from a paedophile stepfather encounters a bunch of foul-mouthed street kids in a downbeat housing estates.

Certainly Doillon's unique rapport with children is there, but no structure, no style, no distance and definitely no irony. After 'Ponette' and 'Le Petit Criminel', to name just two recent, magical 'films d'enfance', and a dazzling career this must surely just be an aberration.

The resulting film seems to suggest that Doillon just gathered together a bunch of personable kids and said 'What film can we make?' the resulting story and script seems the product of juvenile sensibility of limited intelligence rather than one of the finest directors of our age.

Barely worth travelling around the block for, let alone the 400 miles I went!

Groan...

While the story line was contrived, this film is a wonderful vehicle for Doillon to help kids express themselves on screen. He seems every bit the master of drawing out of early adolescents that magical time between the innocence of childhood and the harder reality of adulthood as was Truffaut in the 400 Blows and Small Change. This makes the film worth watching.