★ 7 / 10
**They found each other, a tale of a
Reno
**They found each other, a tale of a new friendship.** A year ago I saw and reviewed 'Heidi'. This is just like a boy version of that film. The Alps, goats…
**They found each other, a tale of a new friendship.**
A year ago I saw and reviewed 'Heidi'. This is just like a boy version of that film. The Alps, goats, grandfather, like that each other can be compared. This one came even before that, but I saw it only now. Whenever I see a film this late, I comfort myself saying 'better late than never'. There's already a sequel was made and I'm sure I'll be watching it very soon. By the way the film was based on half a century old children's novel and directed by who is famous for his dog films and documentaries.
This is the tale of a young boy named Sébatien who lives with his grandfather in the French Alps valley. It was during the 40s and the people are devastated by the presence of nazi force. The town has not yet shown any resistance to that. But there was a little compassion for the small Jewish community living among them and they're helping them to get away safely to the other side of the mountain.
On the other hand, the boy befriends with a feral dog and names her Belle, who was responsible for the deaths of goats. Their bond becomes stronger and all his effort is to protect Belle from village people. But one day during the Christmas season, the opportunity knocks to prove their worth, particularly Belle's. That's when the narration reaches the highest point with some adventures in the snowy Alps.
> ❝It is nicer than 'dirty beast', huh?❞
The first thing about this tale is where it takes place. The locations were the backbone of the storytelling. They used it perfectly, not just as the background, but for the story itself. Then comes the two important characters, Belle and Sébatien. It's like another dog film, but Belle too had parts to show her capable like in the stunt section. Sébatien was a cute little kid and in his first film, he was excellent.
Honestly, I expected more from them, together, to develop their connection even further. The disappointments were the edgy (adventure) portions which were not that thrill. Like the filmmakers preferred safe mode than being more realistic. Like they were aiming for G rating, not even for a PG. On that aspect, it looks a lot like a television film. This view is from me as an adult, but the others' might vary.
Despite its sets in the time of the WWII, there's no violences in the film. That sub-plot was part of the story to complicate and improvise the film. Apart from that, this is a pure children's and family film. But I expected a little more tight plot and developed characters in the rest of the film, excluding visually impressiveness. This film was too simple, especially if you had seen 'Heidi', 'Brothers of the Wind', 'The Fox & the Child' and a few others. Otherwise, it will one of the best films you are going to see and enjoyable for many other reasons.
I can tell, it was incomplete and then I came to know about its follow-up. I don't think that was preplanned, but the idea seems not bad. I hope that film will be even better than this. I can't wait to watch another adventure by Belle and Sébatien. This is a good watch, especially if you are a children's film fan, but it is a must see for the little ones. Films like this will shape up their childhood memories. I have lots of such sweet memories, so just show it to them and watching with them will even better to share the same memories.
_7/10_
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★ 8 / 10
Beautiful story of a boy and his dog
Horst_In_Translation
"Belle et Sébastien" takes place during World War 2 in France and aside from all the war references we see how a little boy forms an unlikely bond with a feral…
"Belle et Sébastien" takes place during World War 2 in France and aside from all the war references we see how a little boy forms an unlikely bond with a feral dog. And this dog is easily the highlight of the movie. Quite a beautiful creature and it was great to watch it from start to finish. The film starts in a heartbreaking manner already with a small animal that lost its parents and gets you right in the mood for everything that is about to come. For me, the whole film was about the animals, especially the dog. The subplots with the doctor, the young woman, the grandfather etc. did not really touch me on an emotional level, just like the whole story about getting to the USA.
The part with the wild wolves was nicely done too. It was sort of expected that they are the ones responsible for the killing and honestly I wonder a bit why they use the "bête" as the scapegoat if they know there's wild wolves around. Anyway, another highlight for em was the first meeting between the boy and the dog, where the dog still gives off an air of danger and yet you could already feel their connection. The most intense scene is possibly where the dog is injured and needs the injection to survive. Edge-of-seat stuff.
This is obviously a movie mostly aimed at younger audiences, so including all the World War background and Nazi references is a daring challenge, but the makers did a fine job as parents should not be worried to watch this movie with their children. I believe most of the younger audiences will not even remotely understand the historic aspect of chasing and deporting Jews and just enjoy watching Belle. And it is not just the dog: There is also ibexes, wolves, goats, eagles and many other wild animals from that mountainous area. I would say this film makes a truly great watch and is almost a must-see for dog owners. The scenery is absolutely stunning and I liked the film's message against hunting. Apart from this moral, the film also depicts the danger of rumors, especially if those who are the victims cannot defend themselves for whatever reason, no matter if human or animal. This way a complete legend was started about an actually peaceful dog (that only attacks when being attacked) being a savage monster.
The one thing I did not like that much was how the boy was left alone with the dog in the end, not because the dog could pose any kind of danger, but because it was still a little boy somewhere in the mountains. Felt a bit odd to me. However, as I really enjoyed this movie, I want to end it on a positive note: The music, as in most French films these days, was very good once again. I definitely recommend seeing this one.
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It's dubbed english, not french.