Pieter_Van_Ende After viewing this film, I found the script to be overly ambitious. Autism, failing child protection, child sexuality, incest, self-mutilation, child abandonment, suicide, child imprisonment, child gangs,... director Christophe Ruggia chose to stuff his script with a wide range of social issues. In my view too much for a film of 105 minutes, leaving me wondering occasionally which point the film was trying to make. I was left with the feeling that 'something' was missing. For instance: the transition of Chloé (Adele Haenel) from being aphephobic to the most huggable person in the world, happened so fast that it was almost incredible.The movie is highly advisable though. The cinematography of Eric Guichard is excellent, Vincent Rottiers makes an amazing debut and all in all the film will grab your attention from beginning to end. But above all, Christophe Ruggia dares to tackle very controversial subject, not by subtle suggestion, as is the norm nowadays, but by clearly showing what it's all about.

Carlos Martinez Escalona Les diables is a powerful, delightful, poignant and terribly sad film. Hard to endure in many of its crucial moments. Definitely not a popcorn movie. This is a film with a lot of work in the script and a lot of masterful work in many other aspects.The acting is not only superb... it's mesmerising. I think about myself directing these two young actors into such a complicated argument and it sort of makes me shiver.This film seems to explode in your mind. The story is so engaging and powerful, you'll have the same experience many of us already have: it's very difficult to put it away for a long time.Cinematography is on par and above of the best french contemporary cinematographers. Lighting, locations, wardrobe and the whole aesthetic experience is so subtle that it goes under the skin unnoticed, but with a clear and powerful purpose. The dynamics are all well thought and paced to fit the crudeness of the story.But, above all, the acting reflects the most difficult human experiences in a world where all the characters have is each other. It's a fearful drive in the territory of love: its beauty, its bitterness, its bright and dark sides. All in all, a film about love where the most unexpected things will happen.

imdb-10420 Chanced across this movie on the ever-reliable SBS television network tonight, and got hooked very quickly.After the "prison break-out" scenes at two-thirds of the way through I honestly thought that this movie should end. In fact I started to get annoyed with it at that point, but the relationship between the two leads was in fact extended in a completely different direction and the conclusion - that you only "have to sit down and push with your own two feet" - was well worth what seemed like a lengthy epilogue.In fact for me it was really the performances of the two leads that made this movie special. It's great to see such convincing performances from such young actors. It's certainly no Rain Man - thankfully. Joseph is particularly powerful as the Tom Cruise equivalent in the lengths that he goes to defend his "sister" - to the point of losing his own sanity. It's also no Shine - Chloe's almost wordless performance is really quite convincing without any of the effort that Geoffrey Rush had to make. I just hope she doesn't get type-cast.For the record, I don't think it's ever made clear that there is any direct family relationship between them, and in fact Chloe continues to seek her true "home" with Joseph's assistance - while he rejects his own.And ultimately it thereby becomes a story about family. Joseph rejects his true "family" when it is found, perhaps because he isn't satisfied that Chloe has found hers. When she wanders into her final ideal home and and hugs her final ideal parents (who Joseph holds at knife-point) it really gets rammed home that the only family they've ever had is each other.Sniff.Of course if you don't understand French and have to read the subtitles it's probably only a 7.5. And then I could spin a few more paragraphs about the story this tells about how we treat our children. But I won't.And having said ALL of that I do have some issues with some of the nudity in this movie. Having grown up in France I understand that it's "purely artistic" but I'm not sure that those standards apply in other countries.

les-108 Sometimes I wonder where people come up with these superlatives; every movie is the worst or the best, etc. And often one person like Karl, is saying this is the WORST, while someone else is trying to say this is the BEST, about the very same movie. Its a silly kid's game like who's the prettiest???Okay, I'm not going to say this is the best, =) but;It is a very interesting movie, it communicates some very complex ideas and does it in a way that is aesthetically well done. Karl says the movie has an overload of clichés, and lists murder, arson and incest.First of all, murder and arson do actually occur on a fairly regular schedule on this planet, these acts themselves are something of a cliché, but;This movie outlines an intense angst in the hearts and minds of these two kids, and the arson is actually a fairly mild reaction to that frustration. I really argue intensely with Karl's assertion that these themes are portrayed in a manner that is a cliché. I think the incidents are quite surprising in their context in the film, and therefore, not possibly clichés.Secondly, there is no incest,,, one central point of the film is that Joseph believes Chloe to be his sister, but even though he is told otherwise, still wrestles with his intense feelings for her. The love for her that he has developed, thinking of her as a sister, can't be erased by learning the fact that she is not.I agree with Karl that the acting of the boy playing Joseph is remarkably perfect, but the Adele Haenel's performance is even more astounding to me. Her character is spell binding. All in all, I have watched this movie at least 50 times, (I work in a situation where I repeatedly have the opportunity to get caught up in it) and every time I've seen it, I find something new from it. When I was in film criticism classes, I was taught that the basic purpose of a film is to communicate ideas, and do so in a way that is unusual enough to interest and entertain the viewer. This film does that well, so I rated it at an 8. Its not the best, but it's light years away from being the worst. Films aren't a contest Karl, the good ones are works of art to be appreciated by someone who takes the time to do so.