Les enfants de Timpelbach (2008)

Director:

Nicolas Bary

Writers:

Nicolas Bary (writer)
Nicolas Peufaillit (writer)

Release Date:

17 December 2008 (Belgium)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

A Noël, ça va être leur fête! (This Christmas, they're getting their comeuppance!)

Plot:

The children of a small European mountain village end up being its only residents, soon after the adults cannot take their behavior any longer.

Plot Keywords:

Village | Children | Soldier | Father Child Relationship | Village School Teacher

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Raphaël Katz	...	Manfred
Adèle Exarchopoulos	...	Marianne
Léo Legrand	...	Thomas
Baptiste Bétoulaud	...	Oscar Le Rouge
Martin Jobert	...	Willy Hak
Lola Créton	...	Mireille Stettner
Léo Paget	...	Robert Lapointe
Ilona Bachelier	...	Charlotte
Julien Dubois	...	Barnabé
Florian Goutiéras	...	P'tit Louis
Talina Boyaci	...	Zoé
Mathieu Donné	...	Gros Paul
Terry Edinval	...	Wolfgang
Jonathan Joss	...	Jean Krog
Tilly Mandelbrot	...	Erna

Also Known As:

Trouble at Timpetill (Europe: English title) (festival title)

Runtime:

95 min | Germany:120 min (European Film Market)

Country:

France | Luxembourg

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby SR

Certification:

Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud)

Company:

Chapter 2

Trivia:

Since the film is set at an indeterminate time, costume designer Patrick Lebreton mixed modern elements with accessories from the 1910s and the 1930s. He also closely followed the kids' casting process so as to match the costumes to their personality.

Board Of The Flies

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

If you're a frustrated hybridologist who's always wondered what a cross between Lord Of The Flies and Bugsy Malone would look like eat your heart out because somebody just beat you to it. I checked this one out blindly on the strength of Carole Bouquet and Gerard Depardieu on the marquee but wouldn't you know it's that old razzle dazzle cause this is strictly a kid's movie any any adult, including the two heavy hitters. The premise is simple if unrealistic; in what seems to be a remote European village and is definitely one for the picture postcards, the behaviour of the children is so problematical that EVERY adult in the joint takes it on the Jesse Owens leaving the kids to fend for themselves - and when I say every adult that includes non-parents and even people with absolutely no involvement with children. This leaves free rein for the aforementioned hybrid as the kids form naturally into two groups, would-be leaders/tyrants and theoretical victims. It all works out in the end but will anyone care.