Strayed
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Movie Reviews of Strayed
Movie Review: Overlooked Masterpiece of World Cinema
Summary: 5 Stars
There are some films that are absolutely flawless...and I count this movie among them. I was stunned at how good this picture is. First of all, think about the movie allegorically. Here we have a 17 year old juvenile delinquent (Yvan) - an illiterate actually - who possesses more toughness, common sense, courage, even generosity than the French men in uniform (whether soldier or policeman). I felt that Andre Techine was telling us that if France had more men like the young Yvan, then the nation would not have suffered the national disgrace and humiliation of losing the war in 41 days. The soldiers were content to save their skins, accept confinement under the Germans, and go on with the lives. Yvan - on the other hand - refuses to accept confinement on any level.
I wanted to address another issue, raised by another reviewer, Grady Harp. I disagree with his opinion that Odile, the beautiful widowed mother, engages in an intimate relationship with Yvan because she grows to have a physical attraction for him. I see it differently. In the absence of her husband who just died in the war and in the confusion of leaving Paris, Odile is totally uprooted. Yvan - who dutifully brings food for the family and who assists in finding shelter for her children - is a replacement for her husband. Later, when the soldiers arrive, she is very uncomfortable with the men in uniform. In that short period, Yvan disappears. When he reappears, Odile is so relieved that the sexual union starts from nervousness and relief. Only during the act does she discover, to her own astonishment, her pleasure...a pleasure multiplied by the fact that she is giving Yvan the only gift she can, which is herself.
Both Emmanuelle Beart and Gaspard Ulliel gave amazing performances. One small detail... Ms. Beart was "dressed down" for the part. I thought that was most appropriate. Compared to a film like "Casablanca" where Ingrid Bergman is "dressed up", the director of "Strayed" tells his story of French refugees with far more credibility.
Movie Review: IT WAS AMAZING!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved it...yes, it was a little hard to understand and follow only cuz it was in French and the first time i saw it was without subtitles, but I think it was pretty decent. The actors were really good for the most part...the kids were the best, the little girl and Greg, and Gaspard was just hot for his part, O LALA!!! Well anyways I definatly recommend this for other people that like romance or war movies...but mainly romance!!!Movie Review: strayed is an awesome movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't like the name because it is 'un-memorable' but this little film is a great watch and you just keep thinking about it afterwards. Nice bite of history that has been glossed over. Beautiful feeling and just can't say enough good about it.
Glad I watched!
barb
Movie Review: Strayed
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't really know what to say other than that this is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. Gaspard Ulliel (Hannibal Rising) was excellent as Yvan. Emmanuelle Beart was also wonderful.Movie Review: Strayed in the Forest: Love Story with Beauty and Resonance
Summary: 4 Stars
Two great things about 'Strayed' are Emmauelle Beart and Gaspard Ulliel. Perhaps Beart is more famous than Ulliel, but French cinema fans remember Gaspard Ulliel in 'A Very Long Engagement' in which he played the love of Audrey Tautou's heroine. Compare the two characters he plays, and you will know that he is a real thing, a real talent who is on the way to an international fame.
As to the film itself, 'Strayed' is set in 1940, the earlier days of German occupaton in France. Based on a novel "La Garcon aux yeux gris," the film is about a widowed teacher Odile (Beart) and her two children, who escape from the attack by a German aircraft in the quiet forest. There they meet a 17-year-old boy Yvan (Ulliel), and the four characters seeks for a temporary haven in a deserted mansion among the woods, where the time has stopped eternally.
Now it's not hard for us to anticipate what we see in this short film (about 90 minutes). Despite the differences, the relations between Odile and Yvan get more emotional as the story unfolds. But Techine doesn't stop there, for the two children of Odile (one boy and one girl) are looking for something from Yvan, who, to them, is a superior being. All these tensions are expressed, or suggested, in the seemingly quiet, episodic story. Everything is understated, but it is surely there.
[SUPERB ACTING] Without Beart and Ulliel, 'Strayed' could not be as good as it is. Fans of Emmanuelle Beart, who resented the misuse of her beauty in 'Mission Impossible' (like me), should watch this. Her excellent acting gives a life to the nervous character of Odile. And Ulliel literally becomes Yvan, a curious blend of street-smart wisdom and childlike innocence.
'Strayed' is the second colaboration of Techine and Beart (the first was 'J'embrasse pas' made in 1991). One good thing about Techine's films is that he shows the best side of the leading ladies, and 'Strayed' is no exception. My only complaint is that 'Strayed' should be better with a longer running time. After watching this film second time, I still find the ending too sudden and disappointing. Well, but I know, you may feel differently.
The fact that 'Strayed' is a French film might make you feel this is just another tedious, pretentious, European art-house nonsense that you cannot understand, but say that you do understand. No, that's not true. Techine doesn't despise mysteries and melodramas, and you can watch 'Strayed' as well-made love romance, with authentic feelings about the people and the place. As such it is first-rate.