La fracture du myocarde

In the world we live in movies are not often original,it seem now that everything had been done ,so, when I found films like this one , it really made me happy. The story is about a boy who ,one morning, find his mother dead in bed...with a premise like that you guys are probably thinking that this film is a big heavy drama,right? Well no,its actually a very sweet film with a lot of comedic moments. After his friends find out about the death of their friends mother , they decide to all come together to help the boy hide the death from the adults because he knows well that he will be put into a home. Thats were the film turn into one of the most beautiful homage to friendship I have seen on film. The kids (none of them were actors) were so natural that at time I forgot that was a film i was looking at.They acted like real kids they were not super smart yet they organized a funeral (you gotta see the movie alone for that) Of course what has to happen,happen in the end for the sake of realism but even with the bittersweet ending , I give this film a 8 out of 10 , for having the balls to tackle such a serious subject in such a unconventional manner. In an interesting side note this film was originally made for television.....if only TV film could be all of that quality.

This movie was truly enjoyable to watch. Martin's mother is dead but he doesn't want to tell anyone because he's afraid he'll end up in an orphanage or a foster home. His classroom friends help him keep the secret by covering up for him and helping him around. This is a wonderful story about friendship among kids. It's quite interesting to see how they manage to keep the adult world away from the facts. Very well done.

Out of 100, I gave it 81.

For me, only French directors can do good films with children, because in their movies, children acts like real children. In American films, children are always full of tears, little beast for the pleasure of adults. In Canadian films, kids always talks like an adulte screenwriter. But in France, kids are really kids, like in this one! I can name a lot of others films with children like that : La Guerre des Boutons, Promis Juré, Le Petit Prince a dit, etc. Here is a warm story about solidarity between young people face to the adult world. They protect each other from the incomprehension of the adults. I saw La Fracture du Myocarde in a movie theatre in 1991, and I have it on video cassette. I look at it from time to time and still really love it, because it's fun and very human.

I've seen this film at the 1991 Berlin Film Fest 12 years ago and I still consider it today as one of the best foreign films to this date. It reminds me a lot of Lasse Hallstrom's My Life as a Dog. It's about a little boy who loses his mother and due to fear of the orphanage, enlists the help of his classmate to hide this fact from teachers and authorities, only their help is much more than he bargain for. I think this film is a must see for those who are looking for a fresh story without overly dramatic scenes and over acting children. One user mention they showed this film to their French class. I couldn't think of a better film. Open your eyes and your mind and give this film a chance. You will not be sorry.

As a teacher of the french language in one of the school systems in Massachusetts, I was delighted to be able to present "Cross my Heart" to my students. It was presented to 9th through 12th graders. The general reaction was quite positive. Students truly enjoyed the film. Some felt the story was unbelievable but most felt that the thinking of "false sense of loyalty" (i.e. covering for one another, at that age) was very much possible. Actually it happens on an every day basis in today's schools. I would rate the film as 9 on a 9 to 10 basis.