Each time you think "I know where this is going" this film toys with your forecast for a little while, then does an u-turn and tells you "nope, that would be way too easy". It willfully ignores narrative convention and instead goes for a surprisingly delicate take on a potentially prurient story, as it involves a love affair between a sixteen years old boy and a middle aged man.
My only unease is that almost all of the male characters are so undividedly noble; the middle aged guy in particular is so unselfish and almost self-effacing that one wonders what he gets from the relationship. The female characters are all negative and they represent the drabness of a bourgeoisie more interested in material advantages and social perks than the pure joy of a sincere relationship. It reminds me somewhat of the worst utterances of the late Jacques Brel -- an artist that I do love and admire but who, sometimes, sort of missed the mark by a mile -- depicting male relationships as classically pure and generous, and feminine ones materialistic and tainted by self-interest.
It's entirely possible that the social contract of that era lent itself to this kind of speculation, but to a modern eye this is hard to swallow. Nonetheless, I appreciated this film for what it is, in all its gossamer elegance; there are several moments in the second half that are so touching and will remain with me for a long time. Overall, in spite of all its shortcomings, I found it remarkably uplifting.
