«Au Revoir Les Enfants» (1987)

 Stop acting so pious. There's a war outside

In 1974, Louis Malle released «Lacombe Lucien» - a film that made France to confront itself during World War 2. 14 years later, he decided to revisit his childhood memories and made «Au Revoir Les Enfants». What can we say about it?

Winter of 1943-1944. A descendant of a wealthy Parisian family Julien Quentin returns to his Catholic boarding school. Everything goes as usual except for arrival of three new students, including Jean Bonnet. The new boy raises suspicions because he does not eat pork and bathes separately from others. Maybe he is a Jew…

The Director portrays a life of a boarding school in occupied France. The students lead a relatively privileged life; they are fed well and does not fully understand and grasp the scale of raging war. They despise the German troops and collaborationists and repeat the propaganda clichés about filthy Bolsheviks. For them Jews are outsiders and, in reality, they do not care about them.

During Holocaust in France, the French society often distinguished between «Les Israelites» and «Les Juifs». The first category was considered French with a different surname and they were accorded compassion and possible protection; the latter category was treated, in the best case, with indifference and, in the worst case, they were handed to Gestapo.

As in «Lacombe Lucien», Louis Malle does not try to paint the history brighter than it was in reality. The French society is trying to lead an ordinary life and the worst among them are trying to profit from it or join the collaborationists. The film avoids simple caricatures, even in its portrayal of German soldiers.

The Christian theme played a prominent role in Nazi propaganda. The Nazis tried to portray the war as a noble Christian Crusade against godless Judeo-Bolshevism. Obviously, the Christian themes became compromised in the minds of certain Europeans, including students of this particular boarding school.

The children are not interested in boring sermons about compassion, charity and corruption of wealth. In reality, they should listen to it, because their teachers are living those values and not using them as a propaganda tool. One day they will understand it and it will haunt them for the rest of their lives. But what can children learn about courage, if their parents are passive? The answer is up to you.

«Au Revoir Les Enfants» is a haunting film about real Christian values and a genuine moral courage of a few. Watch it and think.

Happy Birthday, Isabelle Huppert! (Une affaire de femmes)

And pray who are the judges?

Marie Latour, a woman of limited means, raises two children in a ratty flat during World War II in occupied France. In 1941, her husband Paul returns from German captivity, too weak to hold a job. Marie discovers she can make money performing abortions, using a soapy water douche. She buys better food and clothes, looks for a new flat, and, through an acquaintance, who is a prostitute, rents out her bedrooms to hookers during the day.

The film mixes two controversial themes – abortions and Vichy France. Not many directors have made films about one of those topics and even less directors have combined them. Because of that, every such film makes a splash in society and film circles.

The director doesn’t take sides and he is not trying to make a spectator disgusted or compassionate. The title of a film implies neutrality. The film perfectly depicts hypocrisy and double standards of the Vichy France. The society tries to conceal the shame of defeat by returning to so-called traditional values. But the glorious society forgot one of the main Christian values: «Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned».

Marie Latour is not a martyr or an ideal, but her struggle to make end meet is, at least, understandable. She didn’t make anyone to have an abortion; she just wanted to have a better life for herself and her children. In fact, a lot of her clients was not going to become good mothers and sparing the unborn children of hunger and misery is somehow an act of mercy. Much more despicable is Marie’s husband Paul.

Isabelle Huppert depicted Marie Latour as an ordinary woman with whom anyone could easily identify himself. She has a dream to become a singer, to have a better life and other little pleasures as anyone. The Actress has portrayed the variety of persons: the poor mother, the arrogant and successful businesswoman and the broken woman on a verge of death. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best roles of Isabelle Huppert.

I think that for the birthday of favorite actress, one should remind the viewers about one of her best roles. Join me in revisiting this unfairly forgotten film in an illustrious career of a great Isabelle Huppert.

9/10

Les Gangsters

I have never heard about Hervé Guibert until I have found an interview with Isabelle Adjani where she talked about her refusal to act in a film, which the late author has planned specially for her. Thanks to Mademoiselle Adjani, I have discovered Patrick Modiano (to put it more frankly – I heard about the Nobel Prize in Literature for Modiano, and then I have scanned, because of my poor French, the article about him by Adjani). Such brilliant actress won’t read or recommend a second rate literature and the Modiano’s case have proved it. That is why I have decided to read Hervé Guibert books.

Les Gangsters stars out as a story about defrauding of two elderly women – Louise and Susanne – by some Portuguese workers. Susanne and Louise are the cousin grandmothers of Hervé Guibert.

The book starts out as a crime story, but behind the façade, there is a much deeper theme – the feel of inevitable death. Hervé Guibert never directly mentions AIDS but he has Herpes zoster – one of the side illnesses of this terrible virus. In my opinion, he feels certain emotional bond to Susanne and Louise because they are also slowly dying.

Les Gangsters also deals with the usual theme of «life must go on». Despite the pain, Hervé Guibert tries to live a normal life – dating one lover, trying to find his true love and affection Vincent. Additionally, he tries to reexamine his life by recalling some of the most notable events and how defrauding scheme have changed his perception of the world.

Les Gangsters is the case of a simple book, which grows into something bigger with every page. You can even feel certain admiration for Hervé Guibert, who continues to live and write, despite his terrible illness.

P.S. Thanks to my Right Honorable Friend Florence Dhenin who told me that Hervé Guibert is a great writer – I agree with you!