Belle et Sébastien

Belle and Sebastian may also be the name of a band or an appliance brand but this review deals with the recent French film by that name. In it, a boy and his fluffy white dog save Jewish refugees from the Nazi occupation of France by leading them over the French Alps into Switzerland. Why don't the soldiers just follow them into unarmed Switzerland and take back the escapees is a good question for your history teacher. Beyond the honoring of true-life heroic acts taken by the French resistance, the movie is also an excuse to film some stunning visuals in the boy's largely vertical world. Within this world some sad and sophisticated things happen (including a least 2 double-crosses) so clearly this isn't an American children's picture. Some sad stuff happens as well but not as much as you expect for a French film. The acting is overwrought at times but generally very good - the dog is excellent. In short, worth taking your older children to and having them learn something.

The French movie Belle et Sébastien was shown in the U.S. with the title Belle and Sebastian (2013). It was directed by Nicolas Vanier. Félix Bossuet plays Sébastien, a young boy growing up with his grandfather and aunt in the French Alps, just across the border from Switzerland. (Actually, they're not really his grandfather and aunt, but those are the roles they would fill if they were biologically related.

The film takes place during WW II. We learn that the French Resistance in the area arranges the safe passage of Jews across the mountains into Switzerland. Naturally, the job of the occupying German soldiers is to stop this process and capture the Jews, along with the Resistance fighters who are helping them.

Sébastien doesn't go to school, because his grandfather believes that the boy will learn more by living the life of a mountaineer, learning practical information that will be of greater use than a formal education. That leaves Sébastien free to wander over the area. At one point he meets the huge white dog Belle, and they bond.

The local populace--including Sébastien's grandfather--believe that Belle is killing their sheep, and they are trying to find and kill the dog, while Sébastien is trying to protect and save her.

In a way, this film is programmed to capture our hearts. Sébastien is a brave and resourceful boy, Belle is gentle and beautiful, and we have all grown up with a cultural history of crying when a wounded Rin-Tin-Tin or Lassie is crawling under the barbed wire.

Still, the movie avoids most of these clichés, and Félix Bossuet is truly a gifted young actor. (I'll never understand how directors are able to bring forth such superb acting from children, but they do it. Director Vanier certainly manages it in this movie.)

We saw this movie at the Dryden Theatre as part of the wonderful Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. It took real strength on the part of the RIJFF to show this movie. Basically, it isn't about Jews. It's true that the Resistance is helping the Jews, but we only see the Jews as refugees, never as individual characters. The plots are all about Christians. However, that's one of the aspects of the RIJFF that makes it such a great festival--their movies aren't restricted to just a narrow band of "Jewish" films.

Belle et Sébastien will really work better on a large screen, because of the incredible mountain scenery. However, if you can't see it on a large screen, see it on a small screen. It's too good to miss.

Note: As I write this review, the movie has a tepid 6.8 IMDb rating. I'm not sure why--it's much better than that.

Nicholas Vanier directed this adaptation of Cécile Aubry's novel (adaptation and screenplay by director Vanier with Juliette Sales and Fabien Suarez) n a film that is in both French and German with English subtitles. The result is a film for the heart – a reminder that during the atrocities of WW II there were moments of meaningful relationships, especially between animals and people (remember 'War Horse'?).

The film is set during WWII in the snowy Alps of occupied France, on the border of Switzerland. Six year old Sébastien (Félix Bossuet), raised and adopted by his grandfather, is lonely and dreaming of the day his mother will return from America for him. He befriends an enormous yet gentle sheepdog Belle who quickly becomes his best friend and protector. With Nazis in the village rooting out the resistance fighters helping Jewish refugees cross the border, Belle and Sébastien's loyalty to each other and the village that has embraced them both will be put to the test.

The scenery is magnificent and the acting by the young and gifted Félix Bossuet is extraordinary. It is a moment of devotion and love and caring and protection during WW II that creates a strong sense of caring about the true meaning of friendship.

An intriguing tail and adventure of a little human and Belle the Great Pyranees. She is the star of the movie.

In 1943, in the French Alps, the orphan Sébastien (Félix Bossuet) lives in a small village with his grandfather César (Tchéky Karyo), who is a shepherd, and his aunt Angélina (Margaux Châtelier), who is a baker. Sébastien misses his mother and believes she has traveled to America. He expects to get a watch with compass as a gift from her. The local Dr. Guillaume (Dimitri Storoge) is a member of the Frech resistance that helps Jewish refugees to flee to Switzerland and the German Lieutenant Peter (Andreas Pietschmann) and troop are hunting down the resistance. When sheep are found slaughtered, César and the other residents believe that a stray dog that has been abused by his owner is the responsible and hunt it down. Sébastien finds the dog, gives the name of Belle to her and they become friends. But the animal is considered a beast by the inhabitants. Will Sébastien be capable to save Belle?

"Belle et Sébastien" is a great family entertainment, with a beautiful story of friendship. The needy Sébastien find his soul mate in a stray female dog and together they become friends during the World War II. The wonderful landscapes in the Alps are highlighted by the cinematography and the camera. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Belle e Sebástian" ("Belle and Sebástian")