Wild Reeds [Les Roseaux Sauvages] **** (1994, Gaël Morel, Élodie Bouchez, Stéphane Rideau, Frédéric Gorny) – Classic Movie Review 5105

Director André Techiné’s beautifully handled, poignant and delicate semi-autobiographical 1994 film tells the complex and emotionally satisfying story about teens coming of age in Sixties France at the time of the Algerian War. The film stars Frédéric Gorny, Élodie Bouchez, Gaël Morel and Stéphane Rideau. It is written by Techiné, Olivier Massart and Gilles Taurand.

It centres on the emotional turmoil undergone by a trio of youngsters at a Southwest French village boarding school in 1962, the year of Algerian independence. The main hero, 18 years old François Forestier (Gaël Morel), is a bright but sexually and intellectually troubled student, who has a gay relationship with Serge (Stéphane Rideau), who wants to marry his brother Pierre (Eric Kreikenmayer)’s bride Irène (Nathalie Vignes). Pierre has just married to escape the war in Algeria.

François’s friend is Maïté Alvarez (Élodie Bouchez), while his classmates are Serge and Algerian-born Frenchman Henri Mariani (Frédéric Gorny).

Underrated film-maker Techiné proves himself a compelling story-teller, handling the gay-sensitive yarn with much subtlety and intelligence. His film has a strong visual appeal, with several scenes as handsomely composed as great paintings, thanks to the cinematography by Jeanne Lapoirie.

The young cast all excel, delivering fresh, naturalistic performances. An added pleasure is the bubbly soundtrack of Sixties music, including Del Shannon’s Runaway, The Beach Boys’ Barbra-Ann and The Platters’ Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.

It is adult material, yet it is a drama with an urgent message for teenagers

Also in the cast are Michele Moretti, Jacques Nolot, and Michel Ruhl.

It was the winner of four 1995 César Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Most Promising Actress (Élodie Bouchez). It also won the Los Angeles and New York Film Critics award for Best Foreign Film.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5105

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