Standing Tall (2015)

A juvenile judge and a special educator are convinced that they can save the young delinquent Malony from himself and his violent ways.

Director:

Emmanuelle Bercot

Writers:

Emmanuelle Bercot, Marcia Romano

Stars:

Catherine Deneuve, Rod Paradot, Benoît Magimel

5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Catherine Deneuve	...	La juge des enfants Florence Blaque
Rod Paradot	...	Malony Ferrandot
Benoît Magimel	...	Yann
Sara Forestier	...	Séverine Ferrandot
Diane Rouxel	...	Tess
Elisabeth Mazev	...	Claudine
Anne Suarez	...	La directrice du CEF
Christophe Meynet	...	Maître Robin
Martin Loizillon	...	Le procureur
Lucie Parchemal	...	La greffière
Catherine Salée	...	Gladys Vatier
Enzo Trouillet	...	Malony à 6 ans
Ludovic Berthillot	...	Ludo
Michel Masiero	...	Le grand-père
Marie Piémontèse	...	La principale du collège

Storyline

Malony has been in conflict with the school and with the law since he was six. But Florence Blaque, a juvenile judge, and Yann, a special educator, are convinced that they can save him from the spiral of revolt and violence in which he seems to be caught for the rest of his days. Will they attain their end in spite of everything, in spite of Malony himself who is his own worst enemy?

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Plot Keywords:

judge | delinquent | magistrate | juvenile delinquency | teenage boy | 

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Taglines:

We take the hand we are given

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and some sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

French visa # 131153.

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Connections

References Shrek (2001)

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Soundtracks

Summa
Composed by Arvo Pärt
Performed by Bournemouth Sinfonietta, conducted by Richard Studt
(p) 1994 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK Ltd.
With permission of Warner Music France, A Warner Music Group Company, and Universal Edition AG Vienna.

User Reviews

Harrowing and moving

This film follows the journey, during a dozen years, of two people: Malony Ferrandot, a child who is definitely not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and Florence Blaque, a judge for juveniles, as firm as surprisingly empathetic. This film gives us the impression of being in a zoo, watching wild animals loosely left to themselves, with an inadequate security fence: at the slightest hitch, it's going down the crapper!

Around these two main characters, gravitate 1) Séverine, an immature and completely out of one's depth mother, 2) Yann, an educator certainly fragile but fundamentally benevolent and playing the role of a substitute father, and 3) Tess who is somehow a detonator in the life of Malony and makes him want to live as a mellowed man rather than survive like a wild animal.

These five characters are certainly caricatured and / or not very credible. Thus, Séverine, the mother, is a practical joke; Florence, the judge, is exceedingly benevolent and I sincerely doubt that this is so in the real life; Tess surprisingly falls in love with a teen as antisocial as loathsome; Malony is a tie-in product from the famous video game Grand Theft Auto Vice City. But, behind these five characters, there are five awesome actors illuminating this beautiful movie.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

13 May 2015 (France)

Also Known As:

Standing Tall

Filming Locations:

Etablissement pénitentiaire pour mineurs, 1 rue Rambion, Meyzieu, Rhône, Rhône-Alpes, France

Box Office

Budget:

EUR5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,488, 3 April 2016

Gross USA:

$26,144

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,323,120

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Kiosque, France 2 Cinéma, Wild Bunch

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1