Review of Au Revoir les Enfants (1987) by Dave N — 13 Jul 2008

I was personally moved by the quality of each illustration, of the message of every detail and the power of the camera work. Gaspard Manesse tells the story masterly, conveying horror and spirituality alike with naive simplicity and touching authenticity.

The movie ranges among the best ever accomplishments of French cinema. It made me think about life and values, about the truths of our existence and the brittleness of life. The story is historically true and thus a strong and pervasive witness of one boy's real experience of the horrors of war and the inequities of our daily struggles to find and defend happiness and vitality against all odds.

Louis Malle died in 1995. At the end of the movie he says that despite the 40 plus years that have passed since 1944, he would never forget that moment on that cold and chilly January morning, when his friend was taken away by the Nazis. Maybe he had Jean's face in front of him when he died in California, so far away from his native soil. Maybe he reached out for the face of a boy who died in 1944, a face that accompanied him for the rest of his life and did not let go of him, defining his character and his values. It's memories that make us who we are and what we were. The movie's last line symbolises this eternal message of life in an unprecedented and subtle manner for all times.