Le Petit Criminel

Jacques Doillon’s drama follows a troubled boy who one day discovers he has an older sister. On his journey to find her he becomes embroiled in more trouble as he holds up a store with his stepfather’s gun.

The story follows a troubled young boy with problems both at school and home who one day discovers he has an older sister. To fund his trip to find her he decides to hold up a store with his stepfather's gun. He subsequently gets into more trouble as he begins to learn more about his family.

Doillon is perhaps best known for directing Ponette (1996), a film about a girl coping with the death of her mother. Here, once again he explores the emotional extremes of a family in turmoil. This story is made all the more moving by Doillon's truthful and naturalistic approach to filming the unfolding drama. He is helped also by his leads who he elicits superb performances from: Gérald Thomassin as the boy, and Clotilde Courau (La Vie En Rose) as his sister.

In other hands the film might be considered as simply too grim or miserable, but Doillon creates an utterly enthralling drama where we empathise with the main characters, regardless of how different their lives may seem to us.

Stylistically and thematically, Le Petit Criminel feels closest to the films of the Dardenne brothers (Rosetta, The Son, The Child), with their characteristically naturalistic approach to social dramas.

On the whole, Doillon brings an intense intimacy to the lives of his characters, while creating a wholly compelling film from start to finish. So for anyone interested in social dramas that don't just dwell on how miserable people's lives can be, this is a must-see.