Review of Au Revoir les Enfants (1987) by Luis G — 15 Jun 2009

"Au Revoir Les Enfants" is the final chapter of French director Louis Malle's trilogy of semi-autobiographical accounts of his childhood. His first, "Murmur of the Heart", explored the early stages of what we know now as a true "coming of age" film - though an odd one, involving an all-too-close mother-son relationship.

It's one of the most definitive French films i've ever laid eyes on. Secondly, "Lacombe Lucien", explores an 18 year old boy refusing to serve the French resistance to work for the German police.

"Au Revoir" is about a boy in boarding school during Nazi-occupied France during WWII, who deeply befriends a classmate who turns out to be a Jewish hideaway. The film relives some classic French film moments first brought to life by Truffaut's "The 400 Blows" - the troublesome, rebellious male youth.

Inevitably, any WWII piece ends up unsettling and deeply depressing - though this one impressively told its story with a PG rating. The true horror of this film lies what you know from textbooks, which adds to the emotional magnitude of what Catholic priests and Christian clergy went through, putting their lives on the line to help hide the Jewish community in their boarding school facilities.

If they were found hiding these individuals, they were arrested and killed along with the Jews. This film is a completely memorable slice-of-life film that creatively portray WWII times without shoving common war or death depictions in your face.