If you read capsule plot summaries about this slow, meandering film, you might think it was about a teacher who helps an abused child. Well, that story is hidden somewhere in here, but it's surrounded by lots of cloying, cutesy scenes about childhood that don't have much to do with anything at all.
There are some humorous moments, but they are few and far between. There are far too many "aww...isn't that sweet" moments that might please those who get emotional in a Hallmark Card store.
A couple of the amateur young actors are strong enough to carry a scene, but most of them aren't, which becomes annoying after awhile. And speaking of annoying, Charles Trenet, who once sang the immortal song "La Mer," delivers one of the most banal, trite movie songs ever written. Other low-budget features, such as the stuffed doll substituting for a falling child, and the poor lighting effect of people watching a movie (in which it's obvious that the movie is being projected right on their faces), seem to indicate that the production team just wanted to get this over with as quickly and cheaply as possible. After all, they had to watch all the footage BEFORE it was edited, which must have been sheer torture.
Truffaut has done SO much better so many times; why bother with this one?
There are some humorous moments, but they are few and far between. There are far too many "aww...isn't that sweet" moments that might please those who get emotional in a Hallmark Card store.
A couple of the amateur young actors are strong enough to carry a scene, but most of them aren't, which becomes annoying after awhile. And speaking of annoying, Charles Trenet, who once sang the immortal song "La Mer," delivers one of the most banal, trite movie songs ever written. Other low-budget features, such as the stuffed doll substituting for a falling child, and the poor lighting effect of people watching a movie (in which it's obvious that the movie is being projected right on their faces), seem to indicate that the production team just wanted to get this over with as quickly and cheaply as possible. After all, they had to watch all the footage BEFORE it was edited, which must have been sheer torture.
Truffaut has done SO much better so many times; why bother with this one?