Wild Reeds (1994)

In a village in the Southwest of France, 1962. Maite and Francois are 18 years old. They are friends, not lovers. In Francois's classroom, there are Serge, whose brother has just married to... See full summary »

Director:

André Téchiné

Writers:

Olivier Massart, Gilles Taurand

Stars:

Élodie Bouchez, Gaël Morel, Stéphane Rideau

8 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Élodie Bouchez	...	Maïté Alvarez
Gaël Morel	...	François Forestier
Stéphane Rideau	...	Serge Bartolo
Frédéric Gorny	...	Henri Mariani
Michèle Moretti	...	Madame Alvarez
Jacques Nolot	...	Monsieur Morelli
Eric Kreikenmayer	...	Pierre Bartolo, the Groom
Nathalie Vignes	...	Irène, the Bride
Michel Ruhl	...	Monsieur Cassagne
Fatia Maite	...	Aicha Morelli
Claudine Taulère	...	Nurse
Elodie Soulinhac	...	Colette, Girl at Party
Dominique Bovard	...	Guard
Monsieur Simonet	...	Guard
Chief Officer Carre	...	Officer

Storyline

In a village in the Southwest of France, 1962. Maite and Francois are 18 years old. They are friends, not lovers. In Francois's classroom, there are Serge, whose brother has just married to try to escape from the war in Algeria, and Henri, a pied-noir (Algerian-born Frenchman). Francois and Serge will have a homosexual relationship, but Serge wants to marry his brother's wife...

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Plot Keywords:

homosexual | french colonialism | mutual masturbation | gay | male objectification | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

10 May 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wild Reeds

Filming Locations:

Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Lot-et-Garonne, France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$917,915

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ima Films, Les Films Alain Sarde, Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After his brother's funeral, Serge is speaking with Maïté, and he tells her that he likes her hair because it reminds him of Françoise Hardy. Hardy is a French singer and actress, more famous for her singing, whose first recordings were released in 1962, which is the time setting for this film, when Hardy would have been approximately the same age as the main characters, 18 years old. One of her first recordings, "Tous les garçons et les filles" was a major hit in France in 1962, selling over one million copies, and was awarded a gold record. Even though there was a reference to Hardy in the script, Hardy's songs were not part of the sound track, and she did not appear in the film (her first acting credit was the following year, 1963).

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Goofs

One of the songs featured at the party which Maïté and François go to after the movie is "Barbara Ann" by The Beach Boys, which was recorded and released in the fall of 1965, a full three years after the 1962 time setting for this movie.

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Quotes

Monsieur Morelli: Tonight I'm talking into thin air. You're not listening. Let's just stop.
Henri Mariani: I'm sorry. It's this morning's news. They gave Salan life imprisonment. You don't care? He wanted to save us, and he was crushed and humiliated.
Monsieur Morelli: Get some sleep, Mariani. You need it. We'll try again tomorrow.
Henri Mariani: Tell me what you think. I need to know.
Monsieur Morelli: I don't know what I think. But I understand your anger.

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Alternate Versions

Shorter TV version released under the title Tous les garçons et les filles de leur âge: Le chêne et le roseau (1994) (TV)

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Connections

Featured in Cinéma, de notre temps: André Téchiné, après la Nouvelle Vague... (1995)

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Soundtracks

Frühlingsstimmen (Voices of Spring)
by Johann Strauss

User Reviews

Refreshing and subtle

I liked the movie even if I was left with the feeling that there was no real end to it (a common thing in French movies). It was superbly acted by four young comedians perfectly cast. The relations between them are ambiguous. Still, more depth could have been given to their characters and the story.

Nevertheless, there is an overall subtlety to the movie, something that makes it light even if the topics are not always light (Francois discovers he is gay and have some problems dealing with it, Henri is a pied noir in France at the end of the Algeria war and is in a delicate situation, not speaking about Serge who loses his brother to that same war and Maite who is somewhat oppressed by her mother who is a die hard communist militant).

It was very refreshing to see. You need to be familiar with the history of Algeria war and the tensions of that time though to fully follow. A film I would recommend to many people.