Beautiful, interesting, incredible cinema.
GOODBYE, CHILDREN
Au revoir les enfants
Synopsis
1944. Julien, 11, returns to find three new boys enrolled at his boarding school. Especially a mysterious boy named Bonnet interests him. When Julien finds out Bonnet’s secret, a tender friendship grows between the two. However, the reality of the war threatens to devastate their sheltered world.
Synopsis
1944. Julien, 11, returns to find three new boys enrolled at his boarding school. Especially a mysterious boy named Bonnet interests him. When Julien finds out Bonnet’s secret, a tender friendship grows between the two. However, the reality of the war threatens to devastate their sheltered world.
Our take
Based on an early memory from the French filmmaker’s own life, this WWII-set drama is Louis Malle’s enduring evocation of childhood. Masterful in every shot, this is a simple yet heartfelt story that will never age. The act of bonding with each other has rarely been portrayed as movingly on screen.