Twenty-year old misfit Francois kidnaps gawky Mado, an 11 year-old who is neglected by her family. Francois locks up Mado in his attic. Instead of feeling fear, Mado enters into the spirit of the abduction, and they joust with one another, increasingly finding love and comfort in their relationship. Doillon’s intimate, small-scale films are marked by recurrent themes of Oedipal and gender conflicts - especially between fathers and daughters - which, although not strictly autobiographical, often rework events from his life. Doillon’s mise-en-scene favours pared-down, claustrophobic settings and situations, contrasting with the violent emotions depicted. Reference: Ginette Vincendeau. “The comapnion to French cinema”. London: BFI Publishing, 1996.
Credits: Producers, Daniele Delorme, Yves Robert ; director, Jacques Doillon ; writer, Jacques Doillon ; photography, Philippe Rousselot ; art direction, Jean-Denis Robert.
Cast: Claude Hebert, Madeleine Desdevises.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
X000426
Languages
English
French
Subject category
Foreign language films
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
16mm film; Limited Access Print (Section 2)