Le péril jeune

Second feature movie from Klapisch, and first of many with Romain Duris, one of his favourite actors, "Le péril jeune" is a masterwork, and a cult movie. It manages to capture the spirit of a time (mid 70s) and of a generation and relies to do so on a group of talented actors.

I can only strongly recommend you this movie and hope you'll feel its magic! Compared to others movies around that main story - a group of youth, having fun, going to school, growing into themselves, living - it does so with such freshness, you'll want too, to be part of that group It will make you come back to your school time - even if you're not part of that generation, like me!

On top of that, we can feel that despite telling a story incorporating personal memories, he does so while laughing at that memory and the movie is infused with that fact. It will then be honed and used very efficiently in its most known work "L'auberge espagnole'.

In France, we have a famous 80s comedy about lazy, funny teens in high school getting their diploma (« Les Sous Doués »). Here, it's the same thing but during the decade before, thus in the 70s : what's striking is the high politic and societal consciousness of those students (marxism, feminism) and their fashion style (wool) that dresses them like shepherds ! In the 80s, those 2 facts have disappeared but we had still style and education (I studied then), whereas nowadays, in the next millennium, those same classes are just hollow, stupid and dress in sport-ware all the time !

As a Klapish movie, we can discern already his future trademark : it's fresh, funny and he isn't afraid to play with the frame (here, when they are all stoned !). He knew already how to blend some serious matters (jobless, getting old and responsible, falling in love) in a light content. His casting was great as he was one who discovered Romain. All his buddies are cool too and i admit that the young English teacher is just amazing to shake a young shy student (like I was).

Whenever I see these films about youth, youth movements and what moves youth from times past, I ask myself what happened. Where did fire, anger, (intelligent) resistance, 1000 questions, the power of the word before the deed, etc. Go? I know this sounds like the exasperation of an old man, but then so be it. This nostalgic time travel somehow hurts and triggers questions, even though all was certainly not well in those days either. Something has obviously changed massively since the 2000s, namely technology and politics.

Social brutalisation through digital demystification and, here in the film, we are in wonderful France, the cradle of the revolution, the decomposition of our wonderful European culture through the flooding with completely alien origins.

Digressed (but not again), a very clear viewing recommendation and a little insider tip.

Five guys meet ten years after high school and remember good times, reveal little secrets. A journey into their first joints, girls, riots...touching and very funny...a fresh laugh riot with a nostalgic background.

This is one of the very few teenage movies that can be watched over and over again. It is the simple story of a group of teenagers in the mid 70s, with nothing really exceptional happening (no serial killers, no alien abductions,...), just the life of this group of teenagers who are very well written and acted : Almost everyone can find himself in one of the key figures of the movie. That's what makes it a movie you can watch over and over again. The plot manages to "link" intelligently the different sequences, a task in which most wanna-be realistic teenagers movies fail. For 70s music lovers, this movie contains a lot of 70s rock hits, so don't miss it !

For a trip back in the Paris of the 70s, rent this tape - time machines are still too expensive !