Les roseaux sauvages (1994) was shown in the U.S. with the translated title Wild Reeds. It was co-written and directed by André Téchiné.
The movie is set in 1962, just at the end of the Algerian War of Independence. To fully understand and enjoy the movie, it's helpful to know the basics. French soldiers were still being sent to Algeria to oppose independence. The OAS was a right-wing group in Algeria and France that wanted to retain French colonial power.
We don't see Algeria in the movie--the action takes place in and around Toulouse, in southern France. The film is a coming-of-age movie for four young adults.
Élodie Bouchez portrays Maïté Alvarez, the only woman of the four. Gaël Morel is François Forestier, Stéphane Rideau plays Serge Bartolo, and Frédéric Gorny portrays Henri Mariani.
The three young men are studying in a boarding school. Maïté's mother teaches at the school. She and her daughter are both Communists, and they believe in Algerian independence.
The movie examines a few weeks in their lives. These weeks are filled with self-discovery and interaction among the four adolescents. Some of the events are profound and will change what happens to them in the future.
We saw the film on DVD. It would work better on the large screen, but it was OK on the small screen. The movie has a solid IMDb rating of 7.4. I thought it was better than that and rated it 8.
The movie is set in 1962, just at the end of the Algerian War of Independence. To fully understand and enjoy the movie, it's helpful to know the basics. French soldiers were still being sent to Algeria to oppose independence. The OAS was a right-wing group in Algeria and France that wanted to retain French colonial power.
We don't see Algeria in the movie--the action takes place in and around Toulouse, in southern France. The film is a coming-of-age movie for four young adults.
Élodie Bouchez portrays Maïté Alvarez, the only woman of the four. Gaël Morel is François Forestier, Stéphane Rideau plays Serge Bartolo, and Frédéric Gorny portrays Henri Mariani.
The three young men are studying in a boarding school. Maïté's mother teaches at the school. She and her daughter are both Communists, and they believe in Algerian independence.
The movie examines a few weeks in their lives. These weeks are filled with self-discovery and interaction among the four adolescents. Some of the events are profound and will change what happens to them in the future.
We saw the film on DVD. It would work better on the large screen, but it was OK on the small screen. The movie has a solid IMDb rating of 7.4. I thought it was better than that and rated it 8.