Les Enfants du pays (2006) - film review

France, 1940.  In a small village in the Ardennes, an old man, Gustave, and his two grandchildren carry on their daily routine.  All the other inhabitants of the village have fled to safety in the face of a German invasion.   Gustave keeps himself informed with the outside world via a radio transmitter-receiver.  One day, a unit of Senegalese soldiers appear from nowhere, disrupting the ordered lives of Gustave and his young charges...

Whilst this film explores some interesting concepts (such as the fall-out when two totally different cultures are brought into collision), its realisation is so hackneyed and naïve (some would say inept) that it is quite impossible to take seriously.  An implausible plot is made laughingly absurd by the film’s excruciating lack of realism – the result of some outrageously poor acting performances and the standard of direction you could only expect from an amateur filmmaker of limited talent and poor judgement. The film’s only redeeming feature is veteran actor Michel Serrault, who at least brings some conviction to his part, but the lack of sophistication in every other department means that this is pretty well wasted effort.

© James Travers 2007

Write a review for this film...

What do you think of this film?