Wild Reeds [Blu-ray]

Director: André Téchiné André Téchiné

Overview

This is a nostalgic French coming-of-age drama from director Andre Techine set in a Provence deeply divided over the war for independence being waged against French colonialism in Algeria. In 1962, Francois (Gael Morel) and Maite (Elodie Bouchez) are best friends and students at a boarding school in southwestern France, where Maite's mother Madame Alvarez (Michele Moretti) is an instructor. Francois is realizing he's gay because of his attraction to his working class roommate Serge (Stephane Rideau). Although Serge seduces Francois one night, he is not gay and is actually attracted to Maite. So is Henri (Frederic Gorny), a radically-politicized Algerian-born Frenchman who supports France in the war, an unpopular position, particularly with Madame Alvarez, a communist. The classroom sparring between Henri and Alvarez galvanizes the school, but then word comes that Serge's older brother has been killed in the war. Madame Alvarez, who loved him but refused to help him desert the military, becomes so unhinged that she must be sent away for treatment. Wild Reeds (1994) won four Cesars (France's equivalent of the Oscar), including the award for that year's Best Picture, beating such other notable films as Red (1994) and Queen Margot (1994).

Product Details

Release Date:	03/28/2023
UPC:	0688187004402
Original Release:	1994
Rating:	NR
Source:	Altered Innocence
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:54:00
Sales rank:	23,961

Special Features

Discord, Bloom and Light: The Poetic Pulse of André Téchiné's Wild Reeds": A video essay by Daniel Kremer; New intervies with actor Stéphane Rideau; Double-Sided poster with an essay by Caden Mark Gardner; New original trailer; Other trailers

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Frederic Gorny	Actor,Henri Mariani
Élodie Bouchez	Maïté Alvarez
Gaël Morel	François Forestier
Stéphane Rideau	Serge Bartolo
Michèle Moretti	Madame Alvarez
Jacques Nolot	Monsieur Morelli
Eric Kreikenmayer	Pierre Bartolo
Nathalie Vigne	Irène
Michel Ruhl	Monsieur Cassagne
Fatia Maite	Aicha Morelli
Claudine Taulere	Nurse
Elodie Soulinhac	Colette
Dominique Bovard	Guard
Monsieur Simonet	Guard,Monsieur Bartolo
Charles Picot	Headmaster
Christophe Maitre	Gym Instructor
Bordes Fernand Raouly	Madame Bartolo
Michel Voisin	Justice of the Peace
Denis Bergonhe	Gas Station Attendant

Technical Credits

André Téchiné	Director
Alain Sarde	Producer
Georges Benayou	Producer

Editorial Reviews

A deeply thoughtful, heartfelt drama, Les roseaux sauvages demonstrates how to make a coming-of-age film. In many American movies, coming of age is achieved through external activities, like taking a road trip or getting deflowered by a next-door neighbor; here, French teens attain maturity through an internal, cerebral evolution, revolving around one's identity and place in society. The film is set during the Algerian War, when France was questioning its own national identity and place in the world, and its strength lies in director André Téchiné's intelligent treatment of his young subjects: their dilemmas ring with unforced authenticity and resist the clichés that usually accompany accounts of adolescent turmoil. In one of the film's most memorable and unsettling scenes, François, coming to terms with his homosexuality, stares at his reflection in the mirror, repeating "I'm a faggot, I'm a faggot, I'm a faggot." The viewer is left to wonder if he is internalizing the label society has given him, trying to claim it for himself, or simply struggling to accept himself for who he is. Téchiné doesn't try to force an explanation, a tactic that is more refreshing than frustrating. French critics evidently agreed: Les Roseaux Sauvages won four Césars in 1994, including Best Director, Best Film, and Most Promising Young Actress for Élodie Bouchez as the idealistic, conflicted Maïté.