Friendships, coming of age and loss of innocence during World War II...

Rating: 7/10 (24 October 2007)

Emotionally engrossing coming of age story for boys at a French Catholic boarding school during World War II, where subtle changes in friendship evolve during a time when Jews were being persecuted by the Nazis and sent to extermination camps. Told from the boyhood viewpoint of children, it captures the fearful nature of children under enormous pressure from outside sources they cannot comprehend.
The semi-biographical account by Louis Malle of a time he spent at such a boarding school is driven by the focus on two boys: Julien (GASPARD MANESSE) and Jean (RAPHAEL FEJTO), a French boy and a Jewish lad, respectively. They carry the main burden of the story and are both excellent in a cast that is uniformly good.
The rambunctious behavior of a bunch of Catholic school boys is something I can relate to personally, having sung in a choir as a boy where I was surprised at the ruffians who, behind the scenes, were like street youths full of boyish pranks and rough-housing, until summoned to walk out to the altar of the church, hands clasped in front of them like little cherubs. This aspect of the French boys in the film rang true to me, their behavior being very true to life.
The story is compelling, dealing as it does with the Nazis determined to find every Jewish lad they could, aided sometimes by collaborators who for one reason or another turned in Jews to the German officers. The ending is particularly poignant and well acted.
Highly recommended and stands as a reminder of the cruelties of childhood and war.