Yann Samuell
Amami se hai coraggio

THE REVIEW

The French may stink and be unfriendly, but I must say, at least from watching a couple of recent films from across the Alps, that they know their cinema.

They may not have the means and resources of Hollywood, but there are also good ideas and simplicity; money is not always the key to everything.

This Jeux D'Enfants (whose Italian translation is nothing less than "Amami se hai coraggio", you feel like reporting whoever had this brilliant idea...) brings back a certain romantic comedy with distinctly fantasy elements, which would later be revisited by the more well-known and charming "The Science of Sleep" by Michel Gondry (yes, the director of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," hooray for Italian film translations!).

Two elementary school classmates, Julien (Guillaume Canet) and Sophie (Marion Cotillard), a girl of Polish origin teased by peers at school and facing a challenging adolescence, forge a friendship that leads to a bond as lasting as it is surreal.

Their understanding and their wild games as "little rascals" (Junior would be smiling proudly indeed!), serve as a vehicle through which the two seek to escape a life filled with bitter verdicts to accept—Julien on one side and Sophie on the other—taking refuge in a world of their own with their own code and personal language of communication.

The pranks they orchestrate together lead young Julien to make a choice about his future, also prompted by a father with whom he has far from enthusiastic relations. Their connection will survive over the years, and what was a youthful pact becomes a lifelong unwritten tradition.

But be wary of labeling this film as the classic movie with teenagers of dull and bland personalities, with stereotypical figures, etc., etc. What makes this film special is a surrealism that is not overly flaunted, which fascinates and transports and takes the viewer by the hand. The ending, in this sense, is surprising and fitting.

The theme characterizing the film is La Vie En Rose, made famous by Edith Piaf.

In his debut, young Yann Samuell starts strong with a comedy that is not wrongfully termed a-romantic, where the quirky and childish psychology of the characters, solidified over time, trademarks a convincing storyline.

"Do you play or not? "