I wish it had not been a french film because i felt a bit was lost trying to read subtitles and watch the acting at the same time. When his boarding school classmate serge rideau seduces him, francois falls madly in love, even though serge. Jul 21, 1995 andre techines wild reeds is a limpid memorymovie about adolescent romance and sexuality, shot in a style that blends the precision of a treatise, the misty lyricism of a poetic confessional. Andre techines wild reeds is a limpid memorymovie about adolescent romance and sexuality, shot in a style that blends the precision of a treatise, the misty lyricism of a. The following year, techine had his greatest success to date with wild reeds les roseaux sauvages 1994. Originally commissioned by french television, but first released theatrically, this story of four youths struggling with the pressures of becoming adults in 1962 france presents an honest look at all the angst and uncertainty of finding oneself. Francoiss best friend is a girl maite, but instead he falls in love with a boy serge, while serge is falling for maite. Wild reeds directed by andre techine, was the best film of 1994, and one of, if not my favorite, foreignlanguage film i have seen. Les roseaux sauvages is a 1994 french drama film directed by andre techine about the sexual awakening of four teenagers and their subsequent sensitive passage into adulthood at the end of the algerian war. Thieves is an unusual comingofage story set at a french boarding school in 1962, when news of.
Originally commissioned by french television, but first released theatrically, this story of four youths struggling with the pressures of becoming adults in 1962 france presents an. Wild reeds 1994 won four cesars frances equivalent of the oscar, including the award for that years best picture, beating such other notable films as red. At the center of the story is francois gael morel, a rather shy, introverted young man who is staying at a boarding school. Gay essential films to watch wild reeds les roseaux.
He has a long and distinguished career that places him among the most accomplished postnew wave french film directors. Wild reeds is set in rural france in 1962, a time when society was torn by its own version of vietnam, the algerian conflict that pitted that. Wild reeds, from french director andre techine, is a comingofage story about four young people living in rural france at the end of the algerian. While surveying the portrayal of young people in french film, keith reader. Set in southwest france in the year 1962, the film is a coming of age story of three young people francois forestier gael morel, maite alvarez elodie bouchez and serge bartolo stephane rideau. The film was selected as the french entry for the best foreign language film at the 67th academy awards, but not nominated. Dec 22, 2016 a fine film, welldeserving of its best picture, director, screenplay and young actress awards at the french oscars, the cesars. I have a suspicion it resonates more deeply for the french than it can for us, because the period of the algerian war resonates in their emotions the way vietnam would. Technically, wild reeds is a striking impressionistic film because of its many pastoral scenes, melding of color, and shallow focus.
Rent wild reeds 1994 starring elodie bouchez and gael morel on dvd and bluray. Superdeep, entertaining, nocompromise film from france. In 1962, a group of teenagers confront emotional, sexual and political turmoil provoked by both their own personal lives and the larger social framework of a small provincial town affected by the frenchalgerian war. This i smog alike a coming of age film, in which a group of teenagers discover themselves amongst things that are going on around them. Oct 07, 1994 wild reeds will be shown as part of the new york film festival tonight at 9 and tomorrow at noon.
Sensitive francois morel is just coming to the realization that he likes boys, particularly workingclass serge rideau whos attracted to francoiss confidante maite bouchez. The lovely maite bouchez and francois morel are best friends, but nothing more. Tuesday, may 30 wild reeds by andre techine 1994 with elodie bouchez, gael morel and stephane ridau. On all fronts wild reeds is a topnotch drama offering a look into the lives of 4 teenagers at a boarding school in rural france in the early 60s, this film is complex and immaculately wellmade.
Les roseaux sauvages is a 1994 french drama film directed by andre techine about the sexual awakening of four teenagers and their. Gay essential films to watch, wild reeds les roseaux sauvages wild reeds les roseaux sauvages is a french drama about the passage from childhood to adulthood and sexual awakening. Presented by the french embassy cultural services and miami beach arts in the parks. Wild reeds les roseaux sauvages was directed by andre techine and written by him in conjunction with olivier massart and gilles taurand. I wish it had not been a french film because i felt a bit was lost trying to read subtitles and watch the acting at the same. As the algerian war draws to a close, a teenager with a girlfriend starts feeling homosexual urges for two of his classmates.
Francois gale morel is a shy young student at a boarding school and working towards his. Winner of four 1994 cesar awards best picture, best director, best screenplay, and best. Wild reeds, from french director andre techine, is a comingofage story about four young people living in rural france at the end of the algerian war. Four high school teenagers experiment with sex and love in the french provinces in 1962 as their country wages a brutal, divisive war in algeria. Wild reeds swept this years cesar awards the french equivalent of the oscar for best picture, director, screenplay, and young new actress bouchez, and it. Wild reeds is andre techines delicate, lovingly photographed. Wild reeds at a boarding school in the south of france, timid student francois gael morel discovers his latent homosexuality when he enters into an erotic relationship with farm boy serge. Les roseaux sauvages is a 1994 french drama film directed by andre techine, about the sensitive passage in the adulthood and in awakening of sexuality by four youths at the end of the algerian war. Francois gale morel is a shy young student at a boarding school and working towards his high school diploma. Being 17 well into his 70s, andre techine delivers his most youthful film yet, a tale of burgeoning gay romance cowritten by celine sciamma. Press photo stephane rideau, gael morel in andre techines. Press photo stephane rideau, gael morel in andre techines wild reeds film this is an original press photo.
Wild reeds les roseaux sauvages 1995 rotten tomatoes. The wild reeds music shines when sharon silva, kinsey lee and mackenzie ho. It is 1962, near the end of the algerian war that bitterly divided france. Les roseaux sauvages french wild reeds it will be wrong to completely classify this film in the gay themed category. Wild reeds is set in rural france in 1962, a time when society was torn by its own version of vietnam, the algerian conflict that pitted that countrys desire for freedom against the. It may not appeal to the broad american market, but offers a well done, slower paced film. The band released their third album, cheers, on march 8, 2019. Wild reeds will be shown as part of the new york film festival tonight at 9 and tomorrow at noon. November 20, 2015 by bob boilen great singers arent easy to come by, so finding three in one band is something special. Jan 28, 20 in wild reeds, director andre techine dramatizes the moment right on the cusp between adolescence and adulthood, right at the moment when teens are struggling to define themselves, to cope with burgeoning sexual desires and decide what they want from life, where theyre heading and what theyll be doing in the future.
With elodie bouchez, gael morel, stephane rideau, frederic gorny. Wild reeds swept this years cesar awards the french equivalent of the oscar for best picture, director, screenplay, and young new actress bouchez, and it deserves much of the praise it has. The wild reeds released their first fulllength album in 2014 titled blind and brave. Wild reeds les roseaux sauvages the gay essential film blog. But techine decides to bring out the film in theatrical, in his completed script. The groom has been serving in the army in algeria, and during the wedding feast, he confesses to a former teacher that the only reason he got married was to go on leave. In 2017, the wild reeds released their second fulllength album titled the world we built via dualtone records. Wild reeds les roseaux sauvages is a french drama about the passage from childhood to adulthood and sexual awakening.
Francois gael morel, a shy young man from the lower middle class, is working towards his high school diploma. Techines scene of the crime, which was shown at the festival in 1986, it is too. Wild reeds is a 1994 french drama film directed by andre techine, about the sensitive passage into. Set in rural france during the end of the algerian war, and immersed in the music of the sixties, this film follows four students in friendship and love. French films on the beach wild reeds new world symphony.
Like a lot of french films, wild reeds opens with a wedding. Wild reeds is one of the most honored of recent french films. The film was selected as the french entry for the best foreign language film at the 67th academy awards, but not. The story makes several good points, but while stressing loyalty, friendship and selfdiscovery, the films pagan worldview also deems premarital sex and homosexuality acceptable. On the cusp of adulthood, the four move slowly but inevitably in the direction of their fears, making uneasy alliances, formulating world views and discover ing sex. Les roseaux sauvageswild reeds 1994 france 110 mins. This beautifully made french film is set in 1962, and revolves around four teenagers. Wild reeds pop culture wiki fandom powered by wikia. Dec 26, 2012 les roseaux sauvages french wild reeds it will be wrong to completely classify this film in the gay themed category. Wild reeds, winner of four cesars the french eqivalent to the oscar, has long takes and a fluid european style. Thieves is an unusual comingofage story set at a french boarding school in 1962, when news of frances war in algeria is still plentiful. Set in south west france in 1962, towards the end of the algerian war.
The preeminent cultural historian of the frenchalgerian war, benjamin stora, has categorised wild reeds as an allusive film, given its background references to the algerian war, but i would argue that the colonial conflict is, in fact, central to the film as the narrative and characters are animated and catalysed by events in the war. Wild reeds 1994 les roseaux sauvages original title. In francoiss classroom, there are serge, whose brother has just married to try to escape from the war in algeria, and henri, a piednoir algerianborn frenchman. Winner of four 1994 cesar awards best picture, best director, best screenplay, and best female newcomer, wild reeds beat out such bigname, highbudget productions as queen margot. Rent wild reeds 1994 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. Karthiks rating of the film wild reeds karthik a film that in its awkward misfires and tooearnest, near caricatures of thinking through of the ethical and political mirrors the gawkiness of adolescence to such a convincing degree that it is hard to resist its conviction about what it feels like to be young and full of passionate conviction. Wild reeds 1994 won four cesars frances equivalent of the oscar, including the award for that years best picture, beating such other notable films as red 1994 and queen margot 1994. It would had recieved five stars if it had been in english.
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