Gavras's style is already as assured as her father's, and her ability to balance the audience's understanding of grown-up beliefs with that of a rapidly maturing girl is deft.
Comment
07/31/07
Blame it on Fidel (2006)
93
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:43
Fresh:40
Rotten:3
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: Blame it on Fidel is a charming comedy of manners, class, and politics, elevated by a remarkable performance from lead child actor Nina Kervel.
Theatrical Release:Aug 3, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: How do our experiences shape us, and how is political consciousness formed? Blame It on Fidel uses a light, charming touch to shed light on these questions. At the film's epicenter is whip-smart... [More]
Starring: Julie Depardieu, Stefano Accorsi, Nina Kervel, Benjamin Feuillet
Director: Julie Gavras
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Reviews for Blame it on Fidel
A wrenching, funny and wise little picture, with a diva-like junior star at its center.
08/02/07
Top CriticGavras does not impose a political viewpoint upon her material, but respects the convictions of her various characters.
10/18/07
A remarkably assured and elegant debut, Blame It on Fidel is the kind of smart, sophisticated and fiercely humanistic film that all movies should aspire to be, but seldom do.
09/14/07
Top CriticFrench director Julie Gavras neatly side-steps the cliches of 70s radicalism with her terrific debut.
10/19/07
From solemn little Kervel, Gavras has drawn one of the great child performances on film.
08/03/07
A little gem with a wonderful performance from little Nina Kervel.
10/19/07
It offers a coming-of-age tale told unflaggingly from the point of view of a pouting, humorless and unsympathetic nine-year-old.
01/17/08
Politics -- hardly a movie audience's immediate choice when it comes to entertainment -- becomes a deeply engaging subject in Blame It on Fidel thanks to a 9-year-old charmer who steals our hearts.
09/27/07
Top CriticThe film lacks a sympathetic character even in its eternally petulant child protagonist and is lax in differentiating who's who.
08/02/07
Kervel-Bey gives Anna an appealing combination of bewilderment and a determination to fight back, and, besides the humor of Anna’s cultural clash, the film shows her growth in beginning to understand her parents and her new world.
08/03/07
[Director] Gavras has undeniable skill as a screenwriter, suggesting that the production might have benefited from a more experienced helmer.
08/01/07
Gavras' film captures both the time period and the queasy inconsistencies of childhood. And in Kervel, Gavras has found a real gem.
09/14/07
An extraordinary French drama about the reactions of a conservative nine-year old girl to the radical politics and changes brought into her life by her parents.
08/03/07
Watching the dawn of Anna’s political consciousness is a delight.
01/30/07
The young heroine is rather humorless, but Gavras's intelligence and skillful touch are evident throughout.
12/04/07
Top CriticGavras is an experienced maker of documentaries, but this assured, intelligent film marks an auspicious beginning to her career in fictional features.
10/19/07
That [Kevel's] in almost every frame, with the entire film resting on her shoulders, makes documentarian Gavras's first feature even more remarkable.
08/02/07
What makes this film a real gem is Kervel's brilliant performance, personifying this stage of growing up with a perfect balance of bratishness, bright intellect, humour and innocence. She's a revelation.
10/19/07
...simply one of the best films ever from a child's point of view.
07/08/07
Latest News for Blame it on Fidel
November 19, 2007:
Strange, bearded house guests shake up a peeved little girl's life, infusing it with political imagination and wonder. 
More...
August 02, 2007:
Bourne Is Certified Fresh; Hot Rod Hits the Skids; Bratz is Grade-Z; El Cantante Hits A Flat Note
This week at the movies, we got amnesiac spies (The Bourne Ultimatum, starring Matt Damon and Julia Stiles), loser daredevils (Hot Rod, with Andy Samberg and Isla Fisher), salsa... More...
July 24, 2007:
Radiates a touching clarity that movies about children have much to learn from. Namely, the formative intelligence of a child making sense out of an often confounding adult world, and the courage and necessity of their elders to just listen.
More...
January 28, 2007:
Sundance Reviews: "Padre Nuestro," "Blame It On Fidel," and "Waitress" All Superb
Short reviews for three of the better films we saw at Sundance (the strongly acted Spanish language thriller "Padre Nuestro," French 1970s-set kid drama "Blame it... More...
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