RED ISLAND

Director: Robin Campillo

116min.

Language: French and Malagasy with English subtitles

Cast: Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Quim Gutiérrez, Charlie Vauselle, Amely Rakotoarimalala, Hugues Delamarlière,

 

French director Robin Campillo has been surprising interviewers by comparing his highly acclaimed new movie to Blue Velvet, saying it’s “a little bit David Lynch.” And although one is set in Madagascar and one in North Carolina, both are personal coming-of-age films that feature a young main character who lives in a paradise with a hidden dark side. Thomas (Charlie Vauselle) is the 10-year-old son of a low-ranking Army man who revels in the colonial lifestyle, even as Independence looms. Taking inspiration from his comic book hero Fantomette, Thomas and his Vietnamese friend (Cathy Pham) spy on the adults, discovering the tangled political and sexual lives of the colonizers and the colonized. As relocation looms, Thomas wonders if super-saturated memories of his childhood only disguise its brutality. “It’s a compelling, visually exquisite piece of work.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian. Five stars