Jeux interdits (Forbidden games)

Two children caught up in the panic of the 1940 French exodus take refuge in their own little world and love each other with tenderness and purity. But when they create an animal cemetery and steal crosses, the adults are scandalised...

Over the years countless films have been made about war, its horrors and its devastations. Few, however, have been as moving and heartfelt as René Clément’s Jeux interdits. The Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film in 1952, this deeply touching French drama has stirred the emotions of every moviegoer who has had the good fortune to see it. [...] In dramatic terms, it’s a fairly simple story, one whose connection to war’s ghastliness may seem slight at first; yet, so subtle and thoughtful is Clément’s direction, and so insightful is the script Jean Aurenche and Pierre Bost adapted from François Boyer’s story, we don’t miss a single telling point. And, Brigitte Fossey’s remarkable performance plays no small part in all of this.

David Ehrenstein, The Criterion Collection

PRODUCTION: Sophie Boyer (StudioCanal) – TransPerfect