Un sac de billes

It is one of the best movies I have ever seen about WWII. I trully adored these two brothers and the affection between them. It is about family, caring, trusting, loving. What makes it special among other WWII movies is the fact that it does not focus on the battles or the holocaust itself two much, so it is friendly enough for a younger audience. The picture is amazing and the soundrack is totally touching. And when it comes about acting, oohh when it comes about acting. . .you'll see! I really don't want to overdo it with my review, so I will let you enjoy it. An explosion of emotions shall begin...

The two main characters of A Bag of Marbles are young Jewish brothers, Joseph and Maurice, whose lives are upended by the German invasion of France.

They live peacefully in Paris with their parents and two older brothers, until the occupation forces them to flee to the south, where they find temporary refuge - at least until the Nazis tighten their grip on the entire country.

Yes, it's another film about the Holocaust. And no, I don't understand the so-called "reviewers" who complain about that. If the subject matter bothers them, perhaps they should check the synopsis - or better yet, skip it altogether. As Holocaust films go, this one is exceptionally well made, with strong performances and moments that genuinely move. One especially powerful scene shows Jo's father slapping him to force a denial of his Jewish identity, a brutal act done out of desperate love. Another, more subdued but equally poignant, is Jo's failed attempt at romance with the daughter of a collaborator.

Definitely worth watching.

Un Sac de Billes was shown in the United States with the translated title A Bag pf Marbles. The film was directed by Christian Duguay. The movie is set in Occupied France. A Jewish family knows that if they stay in Paris, they'll be captured and sent to a concentration camp. Their strategy was to escape to Vichy France. Vichy France was still under German control, but most of the occupying soldiers were Italian. When Italy signed an armistice with the allies, German soldiers moved in. Vichy France was no longer the relatively safe haven that it had been.

The movie follows two brothers as they painfully make their way to Vichy France, and then try to survive the Nazi occupation. The movie is based on the autobiography of the younger brother--Roman. So, we know that he survived to write about their ordeal. What happened to the rest of the family is something we learn as the movie progresses.

The two young actors (Dorian Le Clech as Joseph and Patrick Bruel as Roman) are superb. Equally excellent were the actors in supporting roles.

A Bag of Marbles is an outstanding movie. We saw it on the large screen at the JCC Hart Theatre as part of the wonderful Rochester Jewish Film Festival. The film has a solid IMDb rating of 7.3, but I think it's even better than that. It will work on the small screen. Seek it out and watch it!

I've seen a lot of movies about the Holocaust but this one was a little different in mood and it really drew me in. Set in France in WWII it focuses on the true story of two young Jewish children escaping the Nazis. The movie succeeds in being both shocking and charming. The charm is mostly in the characters, but it also comes from the beautiful vibrant colours and the quaint French villages. The shocking part of the movie is of course the Nazis, in this case their tenacious pursuit of every last Jew, even such innocent young children. The aggressiveness of their interrogations is appalling.

The main characters are perhaps a little too perfect, much like the setting, but this didn't detract from the message. It seemed to me that the story was being told from a child's simplistic perspective. The movie doesn't try to convey the scale of the catastrophe always keeping a narrow focus on this family, however by keeping the story so confined, by being just a microcosm of the holocaust, I think the horror of the events are made all the more powerful.

I have no words to explain how much I loved this movie, it was based on a real life situation and it really gets to you. The story, the plot and the acting is amazing. The movie gives you a beautiful message, i'm not gonna lie, it made me cry into tears. It touches your heart in a way no other movie can.