Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987)

Set in Nazi occupied France in 1994, the film mainly follows the relationship between two young boys, Julien and Bonnet. Bonnet is amongst some other Jewish boys, being hidden at the school by the priests to stop them being taken to concentration or death camps. Towards the beginning of the film it is unclear as to what the film is about, one may perhaps think it is qabout the sufferings of the young boys under the strict regime of the priests. However, as the film progresses, it becomes clear that it is quite the opposite, and that the boarding school (for some of the boys) is a life saving safe haven. In my opinion, it was a clever decision not to make the actual plot of the film known until at least the middle of the film as it makes the viewer more curious as to how the storyline may progress. The location of the film is the same throughout, the boys boarding school. The fact that the school is so bleak adds to the effect of the film, as the surrounding scenery reflects the seriousness of the plot, and could even reflect the feelings of the boys. It almost seems like the film has been shot in black and white, becuase there is so little colour. The only relief from the dull surroundings in when we get a glimps into the chapel, during a more uplifting scene when we witness the boys singing in the choir. The fact that the film is in a foreign language may put some people off, as they may feel it may be harder to understand, or the subtitles may ruin the cinema quality. However, the fact that the film is in a foreign language makes you focus more on the film, as if you look away or drop concentration, the plot is hard to pick up. In my opinion this is a good thing as it allows the film to be understood much more. The film ends in an unexpected way. It leaves the audience wondering if that really was the conclusion, until a voice over comes on and explains the events which occoured. To conclude, "au revoir les enfants" is a film worth seeing if you have the concentration span and enjoy this particular period in history, yet it will not be so inspiring or interesting to those with little interest in the period.