Reviews
L'argent de poche (1976)
Moments of Childhood Closely Observed
Small Change unfolds like a poem - it's a collection of moments, thoughts and experiences, all clustered together to add up to a very significant outcome. What it amounts to is one of the most thoughtful reflections of childhood I've ever seen, given from the perspective of many different age groups.
The film has many scenes that are used as a vehicle to illustrate the differences between children and adults - usually comparing the former favorably to the latter. This is illustrated in a scene where a girl and her father watch two seemingly identical goldfish swimming around in a fishbowl. "That's Plic" says the girl. "And that's Ploc." But her father can't see the difference. A child's superior eye for detail has rarely been so clearly exposed on film.
Most of the vignettes are funny. Some demonstrate childhood resilience, such as a scene where a toddler falls nine stories but is uninjured. Another shows children's uncanny ability to make the best of a bad situation, when a girl left alone at home thinks of an interesting way to draw attention to herself.
But among these funny episodes a more serious situation develops. The movie slowly but sharply draws a contrast between the children who come from loving families, and one child (a youth of about 13) who does not. Moments of this abused child's life are also closely observed - the pain of rejection, the joy of finding coins on the ground at an amusement park, and the innovative schemes to get by and survive. Julien's childhood is shown as a painful period, but an occasionally magical one nonetheless.
What is so pleasurable about viewing Small Change is its simplicity. Most of the scenes are remarkably uncluttered, just like childhood itself.
Unbelievably, this film was rated R upon its original release, then rightfully changed to a PG upon public outcry. A PG-13 would probably be the most appropriate rating, but this classification wouldn't come into effect for another 7 years. Aside from one use of foul language it is completely appropriate for children, but does seem geared primarily towards adults. Because the language is quite simple, it could also be viewed as an ideal movie for second or third year learners of French. Not just for fans of Truffaut, I couldn't recommend this remarkable movie more.
Speak (2004)
Occasionally interesting TV movie
The first scene of this movie is the best: A young teenager stares into the mirror after an inventive makeup job that makes it look like her lips have been sewn shut. This image cleverly reflects the themes of the film - silence, repressed feelings and the inability to express emotions following a tragedy.
One thing that is unique about Speak is that while most films about high school rape are about seniors, this is about freshmen, with the assault taking place in grade 8. Such things must happen, and even if it is less likely to happen at fourteen than in the later teen years it's still refreshing to see the subject addressed.
Most of the acting is TV quality, although the narration was well done. I never had the feeling of an entire school year passing, despite efforts to show the seasons changing and various holidays passing by. Aside from the opening scene, nothing particularly grabbed my attention. This is a fairly standard TV movie with good intentions. It could be an excellent film for any teen struggling to express their feelings about anything that's troubling them, whether it's rape or not.
The Outsiders (1983)
Artsy drama for teenagers
S. E. Hinton's famous novel for teens was first published in 1967 but is still studied in many classrooms today. This screen adaptation could have been a low budget version that portrayed the novel's rawness and stark realism, but instead Coppola opted for a more artistic approach. Although the film is basically true to the book, so much attention is put into atmosphere that the plot sometimes takes a backseat. A teenage world of greasers and socs is realistically created, but would have been even more lifelike without all the glamor. Some fans of the source material might have preferred a more pragmatic approach. Tex (another bestseller by Hinton) was directed in such a fashion. But for those seeking more surreal entertainment the Outsiders is an art house delight.
Return to Oz (1985)
Quite a change from the first Oz movie
This enchanting sequel, which came out 46 years after the original, will be a big surprise for many first time viewers. It's full of child-like innocence and is traditional storytelling in the best sense - an escapist fantasy that is simply told but packed with exciting thrills. But it is also undeniably SCARY. I know this is a kids movie, and it's told from a child's perspective, but some scenes were frightening enough to be part of a horror film. There is a scene in a sanitarium where Dorothy is tied to her bed and you can here someone groaning in the background, possibly from electric shock treatments. Adults who watched this film as a child are unlikely to forget another scene depicting a display of disembodied heads that all begin screaming at Dorothy in unison. Nonetheless, the story unfolds like a fairy tale, and I'd still recommend it to children. Modern kids might be surprised how a scary a "family fairy tale" can be.
Paperhouse (1988)
Fantastic
I was absolutely stunned while watching this fantasy/horror film. The original plot has Anna (an eleven year old girl with glandular fever) sketching the crude drawing of a house during the opening scene. As her fever worsens, she repetedly dreams of the same house on an open field. In her dreams the house is brilliantly lit and looks like a real child's drawing, which I found a rather frightening image. Anna dreams of adventures in the house with a boy named Marc, and these adventures turn more sinister as her illness becomes more serious. There seems to be a link between her illness and the evil she must confront in the house, but like many things in this movie, this is only hinted at.
In many ways I found this movie better than the book, Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr. Although the novel does contain some subtle horror, it is basically for children. However, the movie offers some real scares as well as an underlying atmosphere of suppressed horror. There is something unnerving in the scenes when Anna is exploring the empty house that is difficult to put your finger on.
Perhaps the reason this amazing film wasn't a huge commercial success was because it's difficult to determine it's intended audience. While the character of Anna might appeal to preteens, some scenes (in particular the one when the father tries to break into the house with a hammer) are far too intense for young children. Most adults will be put off by the plot, but if they're at all interested in child or dream psycology, or just want to see something different, I'd throughly reccomend it.
Jack the Bear (1993)
A brave film
Warning: Contains some spoilers
Although essentially a "coming of age" drama, few coming of age films show the degree of anger experienced by the title character of this movie. Jack is an adolescent who, as the movie opens, has just moved to a new neighborhood after the death of his mother. During the next few months he faces some harsh realities such as a new school, his deteriorating opinion of his father, the abduction of his little brother and his fear of a dangerous neighbor. He deals with his problems the only way he can - by crying. None of these themes are new in a coming of age movie but the emotions Jack goes through seem multiplied by 100 when compared to similar films. When he feels guilt, I was shocked by its intensity. And when he feels angry, I felt uneasy at the degree of rage shown by a basically mild mannered preteen.
The film is also not afraid to show its characters acting unpredictably. I came to care about them and was sometimes shocked by their behavior.
This movie is too intense for small children, but unfortunately adults may be put off by the storyline and the age of the main character. However, I'd recommend it to teens and adults who might have forgotten how rough adolescence can be.
I Am the Cheese (1983)
Not as good as the book
I'll admit that this movie, which was based on Robert Cormier's young adult novel, must have been difficult to make. The novel jumped through many time frames and had many scenes which would have been difficult to capture on film. But it simply lacks the subtle horror of the book, and the low budget really shows. Also, why change the ending? The ending of the novel might have been bleaker, but in the movie the ending left many questions unanswered.