Les Roseaux sauvages (1994) - film review

France, 1962.  Whilst the Algerian war is at its height, four young people staying at a borading school in Provence experience their political and sexual awakenings.    The timid intellectual François realises that he is gay and finds himself attracted towards Serge, the son of Italian immigrant farmers.  Although he shares a sexual experience with François, Serge prefers women and starts to fantasise about François’ friend, Maïté.  She is the outspoken and independent minded daughter of a schoolteacher, whose main interests are feminism and communism.  All three are shaken up by the arrival of Henri, an Algerian refugee with extreme fascist views...

André Téchiné’s best film to date is this sensitive and compelling coming of age drama set on the eve of Algeria’s independence from France.  The film was commissioned by French television as one of part of a series of eight films entitled Tous les garçons et les filles de leur âge, although it was shown first at cinemas.

The political events of the time, which surely had a marked effect on all French people, especially adolescent men fearful of serving in the war, play an important part in Les Roseaux Sauvages.  Although the war is a long way away from the events portrayed in the film, its impact can be felt throughout, providing an appropriate backdrop against which to set this bucolic tale of teenage self-discovery.

The sumptuous location filming, the quality of the dialogue, and the remarkable acting performances make this a memorable and moving film.  As in most of Téchiné’s films, the unhurried pace and realistic interactions between the characters allows the audience to become drawn into the film’s tapestry and become emotionally involved with what is shown.

Téchiné’s depiction of a young man coming to terms with his homosexuality is particularly moving, perhaps reflecting his own troubled experiences as an adolescent.   The scene by the river at the end of the film is perhaps tainted by unintended eroticism, but it conveys the frustration and optimism of teenage love with a heart-rending effectiveness.

The film was a hit at the 1994 Césars awards ceremony, winning 4 Césars out of 8 nominations (best film, best director, best script, and best newcomer for Élodie Bouchez).  It also won the Prix Delluc in 1994.

© James Travers 2003

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