Fleeing the June 1940 arrival of Hitler's army in Paris, a young war widow and her two children are rescued from dive-bombing German fighters by a cocky, reckless teenager. He finds them refuge in an abandoned house, but despite the fact that the family quickly comes to be depending much on his cunning and survival abilities, their cohabitation proves uneasy.
Acting
Ulliel's feral charisma—he's dangerous before he speaks.
Cinematography
Golden-hour France that feels borrowed, stolen, temporary.
Director
André Téchiné
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Gaspard Ulliel was 18 during filming; this was his breakthrough role before becoming a Chanel face and Marvel's Midnight Man.
Téchiné based the film on his own childhood memories of the 1940 exodus—his family fled Paris the same week.
FR
GB
