The story of how this got made is plainly delightful; it's fun to know how Jane Birkin and Agnès Varda conceived of the project and went about making it, with their own families heavily involved. Beyond that I had no foreknowledge or expectations for the film, and by golly, I was taken by surprise. It's a great credit to Birkin, daughters Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon, and Varda's son Mathieu Demy, that they all slide so easily into their parts; the acting couldn't feel more natural, and everyone is very charming. Of course, that does also make 'Le petit amour,' or 'Kung fu master,' decidedly awkward for the places it goes with the central relationship, and with frank discussion of sex that will seem perfectly normal for European viewers and possibly far less so for Americans with our woefully conservative society. Yet while there are absolutely uncomfortable aspects of the feature - emphatically, ideas that are and should be taboo in real life - I'd be plainly lying if I said this weren't an interesting, compelling movie, and enjoyable. I feel like the entirety of these 80 minutes are one big content warning for inappropriate relationships between adults and minors, but be that as it may, it's very well done and worth checking out.
Everything about 'Le petit amour' reinforces the personal, intimate, and fluid and organic feel of the picture. While the cast are foremost in contributing to those airs, Varda's smart direction, Pierre-Laurent Chénieux's gentle and warm cinematography, and the very real filming locations and earnest production design all lend to it as well. There's no shortage of drama to unfold here, but the overall effect is a low-key tone of homely, familial affection, like it's a story that could believably play out for real. That definitely goes for Varda and Birkin's screenplay, too, giving us complicated characters who are just a shade removed from the close-knit dynamics of the actual people involved. The dialogue and scene writing range from convivial and inviting, to cringe-worthy and mildly distressing, but always retain the sense of sincerity and realism that makes the movie feel pure and whole, as though it were both very authentic and exactly what it should and could have been. In that regard I'm pointedly reminded of Louis Malle's 'Pretty baby' of ten years prior, which very much shared in broaching the forbidden. The verisimilitude is bolstered by contemporary references (the AIDS crisis in full swing; the burgeoning popularity of videogames, and Dungeons & Dragons), and at large the result is a story that certainly puts one ill at ease, but is deeply absorbing and satisfying as a viewing experience.
I was taken aback, for sure. But let's not mince words: this is excellent. Given the topics broached on the side, one should be aware of serophobic and homophobic language from ignorant schoolboys - instances of dialogue that still pale in comparison, in terms of content warnings, to the 100-foot tall, flashing neon sign that is the core narrative thrust. Provided one isn't so disturbed by such storytelling as to immediately steer away from the title, however, I can't overstate just how good 'Le petit amour' is. Every last element is superb, with outstanding writing, direction, and acting; all the work served up by those behind the scenes is fantastic in helping to realize the sordid yet congenial tableau. It's a tale that any thinking, feeling person should find troubling, but with cinema being the perfect medium to explore even the unseemly side of life, the representation here - the tremendous care, intelligence, and skill that everyone poured into it - is exceptional. It won't sit well with all viewers, nor appeal to all, and there's no singular stroke of brilliance at any point. Ultimately, however, the marvelous, unique effort pays off handsomely, and if one has a chance to watch, then I think this earns a high, hearty recommendation.
