Review of Les Petites Vacances

Introduction

Since their divorce, Danielle (Bernadette Lafont) has acted as the go-between during the Easter holidays, taking the grandchildren from her daughter to spend time with their father. They arrive at the station but no-one is there to meet them. After a short wait, Dominique, her ex-son in law`s new girlfriend, arrives and explains that he is stuck in Stockholm on business, but should be back by the evening. Danielle decides instead to take the kids on a short break to Vevey in Switzerland and get to know her grandchildren better.

Marine (Adèle Csech) is an adolescent, not yet an adult but not really a child, who doesn`t want to spend time with her grandmother and would much rather be shopping or socialising. Thomas (Lucas Franchi) is a restless little boy who fights with his sister and enjoys playing. Danielle wants to spend quality time with her grandchildren, so indulges them, almost buying their happiness and compliance.

When the time comes to take them back, Danielle doesn`t want their time together to end and takes them on a `stolen holiday`.

Video

Presented in anamorphic 1.78:1, the film looks very good, with excellent colours and contrast. Shot in Haute Savoie, on the French/Swiss border, the countryside is beautiful, with mountains, lakes and forests, with the transfer doing the scenery full justice.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo French soundtrack is nice and clear, though the optional English subtitles, which are easy to read, should have been proofread:
"Give itanother try"
"You know how many c
hildren
would love to be in your place?"
"Sure, with allthe people in there"
"Why wouldn`t I take yo
u home?"

Features

`Strictly Bernadette` is a 14 minute documentary short consisting of interviews with Ms Lafont. The subtitles are very small and move very quickly due to the speed at which Lafont speaks, making some of it a bit hard to follow.

There are two short films by Olivier Peyon: `A tes amours` and `Claquage après étirements`. The first (6:48) is about a brother and sister, where she tries to coach him in the best way to say `I love you` to his girlfriend. The second (22:47) concerns a businesswoman, her secretary and the man they both love. The two shorts are enjoyable, with good burnt-in English subtitles and fine acting.

Conclusion

Appearing in three of François Truffaut`s films and seven of Claude Chabrol`s, Bernadette Lafont was one of the darlings of the Nouvelle Vague and is still going strong as she approaches 70 and is quite a catch for Olivier Peyon in this, his first feature film.

Lafont is exceptional as Danielle, the ex-teacher and divorced grandmother who basically kidnaps her grandchildren in the hope of friendship, companionship or who-knows-what? Her motives are never fully explained, yet we assume that it`s loneliness and longing for human contact that drives her to become a fugitive.

Adèle Csech and Lucas Franchi are both fine actors and have excellent on-screen rapport with each other and with Lafont, making them believable siblings. Csech has the hardest role as Marine is a more complex character than Thomas, almost grasping what her grandmother is going through, but exasperated at her behaviour and at being treated like a child. At no point is she anything other than convincing in what is a challenging role for someone of her age.

`Les Petites Vacances` is a story of humanity, growing up and growing old and is a compelling watch.