I liked this movie. For those who don't know it, here's a recap of the plot:
It's about Pierre, a French prisoner of War who returns home to France in the late 40s and has to realize that his beloved wife was killed in a bomb attack. All he has left is the memory of their son. He searches desperately for him, and, to cut a long story short, eventually arrives at an orphanage run by catholic priests. There he encounters a boy, André. The two of them establish a close relationship, and Pierre is for various reasons unshakably convinced that André is his son. The moments they spend together are heartbreaking. On the one hand you have Pierre, who is so happy for having found his son, on the other hand you have André, who yearns for paternal love and affection, which he never experienced in his hard life before. Finally Pierre and his girlfriend decide to adopt André, and everything seems perfect. But there is Jeannot, the boy of Adrienne, the town's tailoress. Slowly but surely we come to realize (it'd take too long to describe it in detail) that Jeannot is Pierre's real son, not André. Pierre's girlfriend realizes the secret first. Eventually Pierre reveals the truth himself. Now he is caught. Jeannot doesn't know him, he is a stranger for the young boy. When he wants to take him away from his mother, Jeannot refuses. That makes Pierre think and very sad. On the other hand, his first impulse is to cancel the adoption of André, which breaks the heart of the other boy and forces him to run away from the orphanage with tears in his eyes, only to have the police bring him back. His dream of a family and loving parents is crushed to pieces. That's such a strong sequence. Both boys are playing stunningly and with natural charm. Finally it's Pierre who realizes two things: He doesn't have the heart to take Jeannot away from the woman who became his mother. And he loves André, despite him not being his real son. So in a stirring scene, he drives back to the orphanage and talks to André, who seems totally down and blue. He speaks softly and says: "André, not only children make mistakes, but adults as well. I made a mistake when I thought that I would love you less, knowing that you are not my son. But I can't forget you. So if you still want, you can come with me." He adopts André. The last scenes show André and Jeannot becoming best friends, and Pierre sitting on a bike between the two of them, riding towards the setting sun. A strong movie, with outstanding character performances by all main actors. Unfortunately you can't get this one on DVD.
2 out of 2 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
