Les Roseaux sauvages

Les Roseaux sauvages is a beautifully realised exploration of four teenagers, who learn to compromise their resolute beliefs in order to accept the ambiguity of adult life.
Set in the beautifully photographed southwest of France, Téchiné places primacy in the examination of these young lives during the end of the Algerian war.

Gael Morel (who has since become a prominent filmmaker, with Après lui among others to his name) plays Francois, an adolescent coming to terms with his sexuality through a growing love for his boisterous classmate Serge (Stéphane Rideau). Cynical Henri, a French Algerian exile, finds his stringent ideology tested through his feelings for communist Maïté (earnestly portrayed by Élodie Bouchez, who won a more than deserved César for her poignant role). All the while, the effects of the end of the Algerian war on all characters are delicately explored.
This film leaves an indelible mark on the viewer, as Téchiné sensitively weaves sexuality, war, racism, feminism and communism in a palpable study of the complexities of growing up.