Review of Strayed (2003) by Walter M — 07 Aug 2005

[font=Century Gothic]"Strayed" starts out on June 10, 1940. Odile(Emmanuelle Beart) is a young mother fleeing Paris with her 13-year old son and 6-year old daughter. They are part of a long, slow procession of refugees heading south when it is suddenly attacked by German planes, strafing and bombing them. The family survives the attack and makes their way from the convoy cross country with the help of a myserious 17-year old named Yvan(Gaspard Ulliel)who has some very handy survival skills. Eventually, they stumble across an abandoned chateau.[/font].

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[font=Century Gothic]"Strayed" is a beautifully shot film about being civilized just as everything else is falling apart.("The Time of the Wolf", released about the same time, covered similar territory.) For example, Odile tries desperately to retain the sense of normalcy that her family provides. But after a great start, the movie alsmost comes to a halt when they get settled in at the chateau. And Emmanuelle Beart is good as always.[/font].