Jeux d'enfants
2003 Comedy / Drama / Romance
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Credits
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Summary
Aware that his mother is dying from cancer, an eight-year old boy Julien strikes up a
friendship with a young Polish girl of his own age, Sophie. The two children cope
with their daily traumas by playing a dare game, which inevitably gets them into trouble.
Ten years later, Julien and Sophie remain firm friends, but their dare games have taken
on a cruel edge. After a year’s separation, they meet up again. Julien announces
he is in love and intends to get married. Sophie is shocked when she realises she
is not to be Julien’s intended and tries to wreck his wedding. Another ten years
pass by before Julien, now comfortably settled with a wife, a family and a mortgage, realises
who he really loves. Will he ever see Sophie again...?
Review
Yann Samuell’s bizarre romantic comedy begins as what looks like an apprentice filmmaker’s
take on Le
fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (2002), complete with irritating zooms,
over-saturated photography and children acting unconvincingly as adults. Once you
manage to get past this off-putting prelude, the film settles into what looks more like
traditional French comedy drama, albeit one which takes a few uncomfortable black comedic
turns. Sympathetic performances from Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard provide
some emotional realism and prevent the whole thing from collapsing into a wash of forced
sentimentality and whimsy. Whilst Jeux d'enfants
can be irksome in places, it is also strangely compelling and even entertaining.
Unfortunately, the ambiguous double ending robs the film of the magic it somehow manages
to summon up in its last twenty or so minutes.
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