A woman struggles to trust a man who has become her protector and benefactor in this French drama set during World War II. In 1940, as German troops invade France, Odile (Emmanuelle Béart), a woman who has recently lost her husband, is desperate to get her two children, Philippe (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet) and Cathy (Clémence Meyer), away from the fighting by heading south, though the roads are choked with others eager to do the same. When the road Odile is traveling is strafed by German bombs,
she and her children abandon their car and take to the woods, where they are soon joined by Yvan (Gaspard Ulliel), a headstrong teenager who is also fleeing the advancing Nazi forces. Odile isn't certain the hot-headed young man is such a good traveling companion, but Philippe wants him around to help protect the family from the Germans, and he gives him his late father's watch as an inducement to stick around. Late one night, in need of rest, Yvan finds a huge abandoned house, and he and Odile quickly take it over. The house seems to be a safe haven, and the four travelers decide to stay for a while. Philippe finds a role model in Yvan, and lonely Odile finds herself drawn to him, though, with the passage of time, she becomes eager to learn more about his past, which he hesitates to discuss. Strayed (aka Les Égarés) was adapted from the novel The Boy With Grey Eyes by Gilles Perrault. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
With searing images of distressed families of American soldiers killed in Iraq on TV almost daily, Strayed is another poignant reminder of war's innocent victims.
While Strayed does offer up some decent visuals, good acting, and reasonably suspenseful direction, it falls flat in its cardboard characterizations: everyone, each of the five characters in the story, are utter clichés.
Andre Techine, maestro of the French New Wave directors, tells a seductively simple story of survival set on the outskirts of German occupied Paris in June of 1940.
Reminiscent of such desert island classics as Swept Away and Lord of the Flies, this film is at heart, a microscopic suspense drama quite independent of the war which brought its unfortunate characters together.
I dont know a hoot about French history. Nevertheless I enjoyed this movie a lot. Although it's a story of a Parisian family running away from war, this is not exactly a period war movie. it deals with the struggles of a family to survive, and the relation between a widowed mother and a young stranger.
"Strayed" starts out on June 10, 1940. Odile(Emmanuelle Beart) is a young mother fleeing Paris with her 13-year old son and 6-year old daughter. They are part of a long, slow procession of refugees heading south when it is suddenly attacked by German planes, strafing and bombing them. The family survives the attack
and makes their way from the convoy cross country with the help of a myserious 17-year old named Yvan(Gaspard Ulliel)who has some very handy survival skills. Eventually, they stumble across an abandoned chateau. "Strayed" is a beautifully shot film about being civilized just as everything else is falling apart.("The Time of the Wolf", released about the same time, covered similar territory.) For example, Odile tries desperately to retain the sense of normalcy that her family provides. But after a great start, the movie alsmost comes to a halt when they get settled in at the chateau. And Emmanuelle Beart is good as always.
No quotes approved yet for Les égarés (Strayed). Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'Les égarés (Strayed)'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
Top Critic
