compelling history but lacks tension

Rating: 7/10 (14 December 2014)

During WWII in Nazi occupied France, Julien Quentin is a momma's boy unhappy to return to St. John of the Cross Carmelite Convent Catholic boarding school with his old brother François. A new boy Jean Bonnet arrives at the school. They eventually become best friends and then Jean tells Julien that he's actually Jewish. Joseph works at the school and trades with the boys on the black market.
Filmmaker Louis Malle base this on his youth in a Roman Catholic school. This is compelling personal history of the larger story. However there is a lack of tension. It's never in doubt that Bonnet was a Jewish boy in hiding. It may help if he was a blonde hair, blue eyed boy. There are a couple of incidences where Bonnet is in the vicinity of being discovered but the tension never build. There is a lot of boys being boys like a 'Lord of the flies' lite. It's a bit annoying and directionless. I do like some scenes that don't go straight like the restaurant where the German troops kick out the french police trying to take a Jew. The movie probably needs to give Joseph more time and set him up for the big turning point. The movie should probably concentrate mostly on Julien, Bonnet and Joseph and lose half of the rest.