CHILDREN AND WAR

The title of this retrospective is a contradictionin terms (children are not responsible for war, neither were they intended for war) that each film being presented tries to deal with. In each scene, the viewer will weigh the absurdity of the situation. In each story told, he or she will become witness to a scandal they would rather not see repeated. Their emotions will be reinforced by the various narration techniques. The point of view taken is often that of the children themselves: the camera is frequently placed at their height allowing one to sense the outrageousness of what they are forced to confront. The close-ups of their faces show the imprint of the horrors they have witnessed. The tragedy of war is highlighted by the contrast of joyful sequences that only exist far from the battlefield (The Old Man and the Boy, Hope and Glory) or that end up being but a far-off dream (The Perfect Circle, West Beirut). The explosions and artillery fire, the cannon shots are not shown as dazzling “Hollywood” fireworks, but rather as messengers of death and destruction. It is the children who must particularly be protected from the warfare (the teacher in The Bridge who asks that the window in the classroom be shut, the nuns in Goodbye Children who hide the Jewish children) for they alone cannot escape from the grip of such widespread violence (except in the endearing tale of Life is Beautiful). It would seem their destiny to become the first victims, to lose their innocence and become their own torturers, if in no other way than through a simple gaze as in Goodbye Children or by performing base acts in order to survive (Germany Year Zero) or, even yet, foolishly taking on ideals of courage and heroism (The Bridge, Ivan’s Childhood). Thus war produces either physical annihilation or moral ruin. The viewer will not leave these screening unscathed but rather incensed that civilized human values could not protect the children from such destruction.
Louis Mathieu