The film manages to evoke the uncertainties and terrors of war without subjecting us to the usual battle scenes and unquestioning heroism.
Strayed (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:56
Fresh:41
Rotten:15
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: Understated but compelling wartime drama.
Theatrical Release:May 14, 2004 Limited
Box Office: $397,871
Synopsis: The friendship and trust that develops rapidly between a 17-year-old homeless boy and a young mother with two children is the basis for Andre Techine's STRAYED. They find each other during a... The friendship and trust that develops rapidly between a 17-year-old homeless boy and a young mother with two children is the basis for Andre Techine's STRAYED. They find each other during a terrifying WWII bombing as they are escaping Paris for the countryside. Yvan (Gaspard Ulliel) is a recluse hiding in the woods. Odile (Emmanuelle Beart) is a widow trying to get her children to safety. Together, the group finds a magical abandoned chateau hidden far back in the forest, and they take shelter there. Settling into a nearly idyllic secret existence as the rest of the world endures the hardships of war, their situation is fairly surreal. Yvan is resourceful and self-sufficient, instantly taking on the role of the man in the family. He hunts for rabbits, delights the children with his youthfulness and curiosity, and even ignites a romantic spark in Odile. But there is always a sense of urgency and doubt, as if the temporary paradise they've stumbled upon will come to a rapid halt and fall into the shadows of some looming dark event. A beautiful film that takes a carpe diem approach to survival--and loving life life--during wartime, STRAYED is rich with substance while also being a visually enjoyable and entertaining film from talented director Techine. [More]
Starring: Emmanuelle Beart, Gaspard Ulliel, Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet, Clemence Meyer
Starring: Emmanuelle Beart, Gaspard Ulliel, Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet, Clemence Meyer, Jean Fornerod, Samuel Laberthe, Eric Krekenmayer
Director: André Téchiné
Director: André Téchiné
Screenwriter: Gilles Taurand, André Téchiné
Producer: Jean-Pierre Ramsay Levi
Studio: Wellspring
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Reviews for Strayed
The film provides some sort of closure at the historical point in which conventional WW2 film would only begin.
The drama here is rather trite and never adds up to anything you can put your finger on.
All this unfolds against the backdrop of war, but it's Techine's characters who create the tension, not the prospect of bombs or invading soldiers.
The director never goes for the obvious....But at some point "Strayed" begins to derail. It could be during a gratuitous, ill-fitting, highly unlikely sex scene.
If Bon Voyage ... didn't satiate your desire for films about the Nazi occupation of France in World War II, you're in luck. Another one has washed up on our shores, and it's even better.
Strayed is a richly developed psychological drama set in 1940 France as a widow struggles to survive the ravages of war with her two children.
For those burned out on big battle scenes and carnage, this is an insightful reprieve every bit as weighty as its noisier cousins.
A wartime drama that's more about the drama than about the war - you keep thinking you know where the story's going, but it keeps surprising you by taking a different turn.
..excels in period atmosphere and photography...But there’s also a lack of drive and urgency in Techine’s direction, which become most obvious in the muffled ending.
Begins and ends with facts of war, but it is really a film about the nature of male and female, about middle-class values and those who cannot afford them, about how helpless we can be when the net of society is broken.
Andre Techine's film has true feeling for France in 1940, but is too intimate to be called a war film.
Ulliel is brilliant as a lost boy who has grown mad in a world filled with madness. And Beart's portrayal is haunting.
It is impossible to imagine this gripping refugee drama without Beart's paradoxical combination of confusion and strength.
Long expert at unforgettable characterizations, Techine turns his talents toward creating an evocative sense of time and mood.
A beautifully balanced portrait of a family that is tested and irrevocably altered by a devastating World War II experience.
What's interesting about the reserved, delicate Strayed is that it's satisfied to imply its themes rather than spell them out for us.
André Téchiné's taut, swift wartime drama portrays the panicked mass exodus from Paris in 1940 on the eve of the German occupation.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
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