Behind the Ivy - Spring 2018

SPRING ISSUE |  BEHIND THE IVY

S C R E E N R E V I EW : AU R E V O I R L E S E N FA N T S EL I ZABETH HARKNESS

Au revoir les enfants is a film by Louis Malle that centers around two twelve-year-old boys, Julien and Bonnet, sent to boarding school in France in 1944 during World War II. Both boys, who are from different backgrounds, are sent to a Christian boarding school that is a two-hour train ride from Paris. Julien and Bonnet offer stark contrasts of innocence and experience. For Julien, the war seems to be only an inconvenience, whereas for Bonnet, the war has altered his entire identity and lifestyle. In secret, Bonnet’s real name is Jean Kippelstein, and he is Jewish. For France, 1944 is a year filled with a bizarre mix of emotions. One cannot escape the overall dread and sadness that comes with living under Nazi rule, yet a sense of optimism lingers as the Resistance continues to fight. The French can see that the end of the war is in sight as they wait for the Americans to land, but war does not end quickly. The Jewish people, people of colour, and members of the LGBTQ+ community continue to be persecuted. Though Julien is protected by his Christian

heritage and his family’s wealth, feeding his ignorance of the world around him, Bonnet lives in perpetual fear of his impending capture and does not have the luxury of innocence. In a harrowing moment, Julien asks his mother if he is Jewish. Julien does not even know what it means to be Jewish, let alone understand the rhetoric arguing that Jewish people need to be eradicated. I would make the assumption that many boys in his school are the same. While Julien is not anti-semitic, it is obvious that these boys can easily be influenced to believe anything. In another scene, four boys are talking on their way to the public baths and a boy, named Sagard, says, “Les juifs et les communistes sont plus dangereux que les Allemands,” meaning, “Jews and communists are more dangerous than Germans.” In response, another boy, Ciron, asks him, “C’est ton père qui dit ça?” meaning, “Did your dad tell you that?” These boys are so susceptible to the propaganda, because they have lived a somewhat sheltered existence. They have no experience or concrete evidence

to contradict what their parents tell them and, therefore, take their words as truth. When Père Jean, the priest who is part of the Resistance, brought Bonnet and Négus to the school to hide them from the German soldiers, he was risking his own life. Had Père Jean ignored his conscience, he would have been safe and probably would have lived to see the end of the war. But because he made a vow to God, he could not ethically ignore the Jewish people’s suffering. When Père Jean was leading a sermon, he told the parents of the boys, “Les richesses matérielles corrompent les âmes et dessèchent leurs coeurs,” meaning, “Material riches corrupt our souls and dry our hearts,” causing one father to leave the chapel in anger. These rich French people have a good gig going: they remain silent, don’t collaborate with the Resistance, and continue living their white Christian lives. As most humans value their survival over others’, the Jewish people are a sacrifice they are willing to make. These boys’ parents have money, so they can afford

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