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Red Island

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Red Island

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Summary

French drama with subtitles. A boy growing up on a military base in Madagascar finds an outlet for his imagination.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

James Mottram

A French army base in early 1970s Madagascar forms the backdrop for this intoxicating, sometimes baffling, perspective on memory and nostalgia, inspired by the experiences of writer/director Robin Campillo (120 BPM). Eight-year-old Thomas (Charlie Vauselle) navigates this mysterious world, hiding in corners or under tables as he spies on the adults, including his parents (Quim Gutiérrez and Nadia Tereszkiewicz) and a new young couple on the base (Hugues Delamarlière and Luna Carpiaux) whose marriage is imploding. Ably capturing the hermetically sealed world of French colonialism, Campillo nails the languid life led by these military personnel in "the most beautiful place in the world". The film won't suit all tastes. The dips into fantasy often derail the narrative, as Thomas is also inspired by Fantômette, the teen crime-fighter created by Georges Chaulet. But as the boy befriends Vietnamese girl Suzanne (Cathy Pham), this becomes a beguiling, if fragmentary, look at childhood and the way we recall it.

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5.9/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameColette LopezNadia TereszkiewiczRobert LopezQuim GutiérrezThomas LopezCharlie VauselleMiangalyAmely RakotoarimalalaBernard HuissensHugues DelamarlièreMme GuedjSophie Guillemin

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Crew

rolenameDirectorRobin Campillo

Details

Theatrical distributor

Curzon

Released on

2024-03-01

Languages

Malagasy | French

Formats

Colour

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