Victor... pendant qu’il est trop tard (1998) - film review

A young boy Victor runs away from his neglectful parents and seeks temporary refuge at a funfair. He is found sleeping in a fairground ride by it operator, Mick, who takes him to a girlfriend, Triche, who is a prostitute.  The boy and the young woman have both suffered a great deal recently and form an immediate bond of friendship.

In contrast to Sandrine Veysset’s first film, the sunny "Y aura-t-il de la neige à Noël ?", this is a much darker, more sombre affair.  It touches on such sensitive issues as child abuse, prostitution and paedophilia, but in a disappointingly ambiguous and non-committal way.  The film often feels that it is going to offer a profound insight into human relationships but never seems to quite make it.  This is not the fault of either the cinematography, which is appropriately dark and brooding, or the acting, which includes some captivating moments.  Rather, it is the film’s structure and its very noticeable lack of content which harms the film, rendering it insubstantial and unconvincing.

© James Travers 2000

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