Reviews

I have seen several thousand films in my life and this one became the top one almost instantly. Ever since I have watched it several times and it has never failed to impress and delight me - it even increases the sense of mystery undelying in its baroque and compelling history. On my opinion, it is Carlos Saura's masterpiece and perhaps the best film ever made about the mysterious inner world children live in and create. There is so much to be enjoyed in this film, that a conventional review will not make it justice.

This a very French film, with generous helpings of humanity, humour and a sense of poetic realism. It is unpretentious and simple, yet very accurate and witty on its depiction of the realistic/surrealistic world children inhabit. There are several brilliant sequences; for instance, the scene where a rather shy boy (who lives a secluded life with his handicapped father) displays a healthy appetite while sharing a dinner at a schoolmate's home is poignant yet reassuringly lively and optimistic. We are also reminded that children are very resilient (watch the sequence involving the little Gregory and his cat.) With this film, François Truffaut reaffirmed his mastery as a film-maker and urban poet.