Rent Goodbye, Children (1987)

Malle's Masterpiece - Goodbye, Children review by CP Customer

Louise Malle has provided controversy and debate for decades (Pretty Baby anyone?)and I hesitated when deciding whether to watch this semi-autobiographical tale. A narrative involving children , Nazis , catholicism and truth would surely be gruelling experience.

It is credit to Malle and his deft handling of the characters that mean this is surely his finest work. The film is set in a French boarding school run by priests and it is orientated around the boys' viewpoints and emotions. Our central character Gaspard (played by Julien Quentin in a heartbreaking performance) is an intelligent student who clearly misses his homelife. It is nearing the end of WW2 and we see Gaspard struggle to come to terms with the idea of war and anti-semitism. The themes of innocence and youth are subtly conveyed by Malle and we get a real sense of authorial viewpoint. The boy is Malle.

Gaspard's life and the life of many of the boys is changed with the arrival of Jean Bonnet (Raphael Fejto) - a similarly intelligent student who captivates Gaspard. The new arrival is clearly not all that he appears. The two boys share a secret which could end tragically.

"Au revoir.." could be sentimental and cloying in lesser hands but Malle's truthfulness lends it a lighter touch. This is a warm, memorable experience in which the sense of foreboding is finely balanced with the joy of childhood. This isn't "The Sound of Music" though many of the themes resonate. I shall be seeking out the rest of the Louis Malle collection as I have witnessed a master at the top of his game.

Touching account of a wartime childhood - Goodbye, Children review by Pete W

Unlike a previous reviewer, I felt that the performance of the two boys in the major roles was outstanding. The development of the relationship between them, from enemies to friends who share a dangerous secret, is very well handled. The film confronts but does not necessarily judge the reality of French collaboration with the Nazis.

School Days (spoiler) - Goodbye, Children review by Steve

Many film makers draw on their own education for inspiration... but no one else has been able to tell a story as historically significant... This is a detailed, sensitive reflection on Louis Malle's experiences in a French Catholic boarding school for boys in 1944, during the German occupation.

Which is already intriguing... Yet this is mainly context for a real life scenario in which the school is used to hide Jewish children from the Nazis. Raphaël Fejto plays one of these... a loner who is bullied but develops a close friendship with one boy (Gaspard Manesse, in a fine juvenile cast).

Eventually the strategy attracts the attention of the Gestapo, which is the deep emotional driver of the story. But Malle also explores the condition of male puberty, the impact of parental separation on child development, and key religious motivators like guilt and shame and denial.

The real life headteacher was a proper war hero. The kids were exposed to horrific, life defining events. But for the Jewish boys, so much worse. This is an overwhelming heartbreaker which argues for tolerance and humanitarianism; and is the final triumph of a great director.