Les Enfants du marais (1999)
Directed by Jean Becker

Film Review

Initially panned by the critics but then proving to be a popular mainstream success with cinemagoers, Les Enfants du marais is the kind of easy-going French film which appeals to both domestic and international film audiences.  Its main charm is that it colourfully depicts a way of life which accords with a non-French person's idealised view of life in rural France - a way of life which certainly exists no longer and probably never really existed in the first place.

Whilst the film is unashamedly simplistic and shows us nothing of the real hardship of living in a marshland community in the 1930s, it is a totally charming piece and makes for a pleasant cinematic experience.  A distinguished cast of familiar faces - André Dussollier, Jacques Villeret, Jacques Gamblin, Michel Serrault - certainly helps to sell the film, and the performances do not disappoint, with every character illuminating the screen as a well-rounded and believable individual.  What director Jean Becker and his amiable cast deliver is a portrayal of friendship and camerarderie that is genuine and engaging.

Admittedly, the plot is lacking in structure, and one subplot featuring the ex-footballer Eric Cantona as a boxer appears like a hasty last minute addition which seems somewhat out of place.  By way of compensation, the stunning location photography gives the film a lushness that rewards the eye and the soul.  Les Enfants du marais is the kind of film that director Jean Becker does best, low-key comedy-dramas that are more concerned with the relationships between a set of disparate characters than plot.  Other pleasing examples of this ilk are Effroyables jardins (2003) and Dialogue avec mon jardinier (2007).

© James Travers 2002

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Next Jean Becker film:
Un crime au paradis (2001)