Au Revoir les Enfants (1987)

The critic praises Malle's subtly detailed portrait of life in a Catholic boarding school in occupied France during 1944, focusing on the developing friendship between two boys and the quiet, shattering ending that captures a haunting memory of betrayal and loss.

The critic calls it possibly Malle at his best, with a subtle but affecting drama based on the director's childhood. Malle's handling of the young leads and their developing friendship stands out for avoiding melodrama while conveying the impact of occupation.

The critic finds Malle’s unsentimental depiction of his boyhood during Nazi occupation stands the test of time, praising the truthful portrayal of characters and complex subjects without simplification.

The piece highlights the tender, evocative story of friendship between two boarding school boys in wartime France, noting the director's real-life basis and the moving, unsentimental drama as the boys face the evils of the adult world.

Praises the film's corrective to typical boarding school movies, highlighting the shifting balance of power in the boys' friendship and the mounting tension.

The film is praised as a worldwide success and popular drama that avoids sentimentality while honestly depicting youthful betrayal and the protection of Jewish pupils in a wartime school. Its emotional power is highlighted as more important than ideas.

The critic hails the film as a masterful, semi-autobiographical work with subtlety and devastating impact, comparing it favorably to Renoir and Greek tragedy. It singles out the portrayal of friendship between the two boys and the ordered world of the boarding school under occupation.

The critic describes the film as a subtle portrayal of a childhood friendship and a single tragic, unthinking moment that haunts the protagonist in Nazi-occupied France. It emphasizes the emotional power of Malle's personal memory and the everyday rhythm of school life disrupted by evil.

The critic praises Malle's semi-autobiographical film for its measured examination of youth during the Nazi occupation of France, highlighting the poignant relationships between boys and the moral complexities they face.

The critic calls the film a fiction created from memory and made tough by conscience, about life during the Occupation, privileged childhood, growing up, and the need to find meaning through recollection. It praises its simplicity, ease, and density of detail as the work of a master filmmaker.