Strayed (2003) Les gars

Directed by Andr Tchin (Rendez-vous, Alice et Martin)

Starring Emmanuelle Bart (Histoire de Marie et Julien), Gaspard Ulliel (Un long dimanche de fianailles)

Strayed (2003) Les gars

Directed by Andr Tchin (Rendez-vous, Alice et Martin)

Starring Emmanuelle Bart (Histoire de Marie et Julien), Gaspard Ulliel (Un long dimanche de fianailles)

I cant say Strayed is a good film, it isnt, it is an excellent study of social interaction that is relayed in such a subtle manner that it will stay with you. They say a picture can paint a thousand words and that is true, with this film though its a case of a few words can paint a thousand pictures, a few words can change your whole perception of someone and can hit you with such a force and at times, such pain.

In a film of subtle interchanges, of barriers and masks, the few moments of utter open honesty remain as powerful points, that is why despite the similarities in situation between Strayed and Bon Voyage, it is Strayed that I know I will watch again and again down the years.

The plot is fairly simple and straightforward, a mother and her children flee Paris along with thousands of other families as the German army approaches. Due to a strafing attack by an enemy aircraft they have to abandon their car and are helped to safety by a young man who is also escaping. The rest of the film covers the period up until the armistice between France and Germany and the survival of this small group.

Thats just the framework that holds this film together.

The true story is about people, the masks worn, the barriers or walls we build to protect ourselves and others, the lies we need to tell and to believe to get through the harsher aspects of life, its also about love, trust and breaking down those barriers between us.

Odile (Emmanuelle Beart) was a teacher in Paris, her two children are intelligent and have lead a pretty carefree existence, you could say theyve been spoiled. Her husband was killed very early in the war; a fact that her son knows but the truth has been masked from the much younger daughter. 

After the air attack on the refugee column, their lives are saved by a young man who pulls them away from the road into the cover of a nearby forest. He seems like a lively guy and is definitely more knowledgeable about surviving off the land. The children see a strength that can help them but to Odile, something isnt quite right and she feels very wary of him, a mistrust, a fear, part of which is because her strength as a parent, leader has diminished. The young man, Yvan is a survivor, a pathfinder, a hunter. Despite all her education she is lost and must depend on his feral knowledge.

Through Yvans skills the family find a house that can act as a temporary shelter away from the war but the film doesnt let you forget the situation that has been the driving force in bringing this small group together. Black and white shots of French troops in disarray are interspersed throughout the film, indeed the group is interrupted by the sudden arrival of two French soldiers retreating to the South but that is only a temporary intrusion.

As said earlier, the strength of Strayed is in the interaction of the characters and how much is left unsaid, but even the best script can succeed or fail by its delivery. The performances of the central characters are utterly absorbing; no melodramatics just beautifully acted allowing the story to suck you in and by the odd singular remark, the barriers, the masks slip allowing the truth to break free, no matter how fleetingly. 

Special mention should also be made of the lighting and camerawork, which struck me with their naturalness whether in the dimness of the house and the evening light or the colours and brightness of the countryside.

You may gather by my comments that I give Strayed a very strong recommendation, its not often that a film can touch you in such a way especially when the most intimate or subtlest of moments can, just by a few words grab you, twist your perceptions and stay with you.

Cheers Trev.

BBFC rated 15.

R2 dvd released by Soda Pictures, unfortunately the only extra is a trailer.