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 (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
..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.
A beautifully balanced portrait of a family that is tested and irrevocably altered by a devastating World War II experience.
War may set the stage for Strayed, but the film's real focus is something much quieter and internal.
The film manages to evoke the uncertainties and terrors of war without subjecting us to the usual battle scenes and unquestioning heroism.
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.
The drama here is rather trite and never adds up to anything you can put your finger on.
A fascinating mystery -- a halcyon idyll with a gnawing sense of terror at the edge.
Yep, they hang out. And hang out some more. Really, that's about all they do. Kinda boring, right?
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.
It's incredible how little actually happens considering all the possibilities.
We have little idea where it will turn, and the turn it does take is one we would not expect yet somehow seems totally right.
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.
What's interesting about the reserved, delicate Strayed is that it's satisfied to imply its themes rather than spell them out for us.
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.
A lot of the credit for the success of 'Strayed' belongs to Emmanuelle Beart, in one of the great performances of her career.
Odile and Yvan change and grow as we watch them -- and without any whimpering or whining, they break our hearts.
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.
| 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 |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
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