AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS Movie Review

Goodbye, Children

1987 Louis Malle

Some have criticized Louis Malle's autobiographical tale of occupied France as being unemotional, but that is a completely wrongheaded interpretation. They confuse sentimentality with emotion. Malle refuses to sugarcoat his characters. Their flaws are real, and so are their reactions to the terrible situation in which they find themselves.

In January 1944, young Julien Quentin (Gaspard Manesse) is sent back to a Catholic boarding school after Christmas vacation by his coolly beautiful mother (Francine Racette). He begs to be allowed to stay, and the train ride across a bleak winter landscape reflects his mood. Julien is a smart kid, bookish and something of a loner. But like the other rich, spoiled little brats in his class, he is self-centered and capable of casual cruelty in the right situation. Their bullying is an act, meant to camouflage the fact that they're all frightened little boys, but it's no less ugly. When a new kid, Bonnet (Raphael Fejto) arrives, he catches the brunt of it. Julien does his part to make Bonnet's life hell, but it soon becomes clear that the two are a lot alike.

They're both smart and they like The Three Musketeers. But something else sets Bonnet apart. He's a Jew. The monks who run the school have given him a false name and are hiding him from the Nazis. Julien, who barely understands who and what Jews are—he has to ask his older brother the meaning of the word “Yid”—is slow to realize what is at stake. His perceptions are revealed through deliberate, seemingly pointless scenes involving others in and around the school: Joseph (Francois Negret), an older kid who works in the kitchen; a trip to the public baths in town; an incident in a restaurant.

They lead to a sad and inevitable conclusion made all the more moving by the careful choices Malle makes. Most obvious to American viewers will be the limited use of music. Malle does not use the soundtrack to emphasize or explain emotions. By restricting the film to Julien's point of view, Malle denies himself many of the conventional scenes of heroism and intrigue. The only moment that comes close is a long war game that the boys play in a forest. Even then, Malle is using the scene for other purposes. It is only one piece, and not the most important of a coming-of-age story.

Malle's ideas about the war and the Nazis are held back until the finish, and then the revelations are particularly horrifying. Though the film does not show the graphic violence inherent to the situation, the viewer understands what it means. Admittedly, it is possible to mistake Malle's even tone for lack of caring, but the significance of the ending is obvious and wrenching. The absence of histrionics is absolutely necessary. Material as horrifying and sensitive as this is best handled without obvious or conventional manipulation.

It's clear that Louis Malle is telling a personal story of critical importance, and revealing himself in a way that few filmmakers would dare. Even fewer would manage it so successfully. At the moment, Au Revoir les Enfants is out of print. It exists on tape in both a dubbed version and one that's clearly subtitled in colloquial English. Either is well worth seeking out.

Cast: Gaspard Manesse (Julien Quentin), Raphael Fejto (Jean Bonnet), Francine Racette (Mme. Quentin), Stanislas Carre de Malberg (Francois Quentin), Philippe Morier-Genoud (Pere Jean), Francois Berleand (Pere Michel), Peter Fitz (Muller), Francois Negret (Joseph), Irene Jacob (Mlle. Davenne), Pascal Rivet (Boulanger), Benoit Henriet (Ciron), Richard Leboeuf (Sagard), Xavier Legrand (Babinot), Arnaud Henriet (Negus), Jean-Sebastien Chauvin (Laviron), Luc Etienne (Moreau); Written by: Louis Malle; Cinematography by: Renato Berta; Music by: Camille Saint-Saens, Franz Schubert. Producer: Nouvelles Editions de Films, MK2, Stella, NEF, Louis Malle. French, German. Awards: British Academy Awards '88: Best Director (Malle); Cesar Awards '88: Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Director (Malle), Best Film, Best Sound, Best Writing; Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards '87: Best Foreign Film; Venice Film Festival '87: Best Film; Nominations: Academy Awards '87: Best Foreign Film, Best Original Screenplay. Boxoffice: 4.5M. MPAA Rating: PG. Running Time: 104 minutes. Format: VHS, Beta, LV.