Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I'm not going to pretend that I'm interested particularly in the politics of the period in question, nor the period itself, for that matter.We're talking about the '70's and communist ideals, namely supporting another country, or regime by proxy. In this case, to make up for perceived neglected family duties - the father who's Spanish, with his French wife and three young children in Paris. Meetings, with an array of strangers forever coming and going are seen through the eyes of the preciously gifted and inquisitive 9 y.o. and which propels this film.Her (Nina Kerval) questioning starts out as seeking explanations as to the family's downward change in social status, where she's picked on at school for having weird parents, who eat weird food and have strange friends. As with any precocious child, questions follow the answers, the parents often not sure of the answers themselves let alone what to tell the children, as ideals in theory are often more difficult in practice. It's this mix of naivety, self exploration and quest for human knowledge that raises this film above an ordinary one. How, we all as kids would counteract a mistake made by a parent, often by contradiction and how we'd exaggerate it enormously. It was our way of showing how smart we were and how wrong and fallible, and lovable they were by being wrong. Usually Anna (the girl) gets it wrong, in both context and intent; not hilariously so but with a knowing amusement we observe Kerval's subtle but wide range of expressions. We are indeed looking at a great actress in the making.Other than that, I found the film quite claustrophobic with the glum interiors of 70's - stale browns and oranges and mostly glum characters dressed similarly and not having a great time. It revealed little historically. Maybe parents could view it as a study as to how to juggle family needs with maintaining a political (or other) ideal and the obvious sacrifices that ultimately entails.

The family of Anna DelaMesa come from bourgeois backgrounds. It is then, surprising, the path both decided to follow politically. The father, Fernando, a Spaniard, had lived in France as an exile for many years, never returning to visit his own family in Spain. The mother, Marie, is the daughter of wealthy parents who live in some splendor in a rural part of France.When we first see them, they are celebrating the wedding of Isabelle. Fernando, a brooding man, has recently been joined by his sister Marga and her own kid, Pilar, something they did to avoid being taken into custody by the Franco regime. Marie and Fernando agree in letting them stay with them for a while, something that Anna doesn't appreciate since her cousin only speaks Spanish. Anna, who attends a catholic school in Paris, taught by nuns, sees the world around her from a grown up point of view. She can't say much about what she perceives, yet a lot of things affect her. Take her parents' involvement with the leftist Chilean regime of Salvador Allende. Fernando and Marie have been instrumental in his election, having even left the children behind in France to work for the cause. Anna, is a highly sensitive girl whose life is deeply affected by the way her parents act toward her and Francois, her younger brother. To make matters worse, Anna is told to stay away from religion classes at her school. She becomes the center of attraction as the other girls can't grasp why is Anna different, something that she tries to cope with, but to her young mind, is never solved. Julie Gavras, the daughter of famous director Costa Gavras, tried her hand at directing before. This is her second try behind the camera. We have not read the novel which served as the basis of the film, which is misleading, since one expects to refer to a Cuban situation, when in reality, the DelaMesas work to help the regime of Chile's former president Allende.Ms. Gavras must be congratulated for the work she got from child actress Nina Kervel-Bey, a girl of maybe seven years who does an amazing performance, and through whom all the action revolves. Others in the film, Stefano Accorsi, who has been working in France lately, plays the father of Anna. Also notable, Julie Depardieu, daughter of Gerard and Elisabeth, in the role of Marie.Although the film is based on an Italian novel, one wonders how much is autobiographical, given Ms. Gavra's own background. Maybe she was meant to be the right person to bring the story to the screen.

Hard social facts are faced from the perspective of a little and very smart and inquiring child, although there's no violent scene on the movie the political tension is well expressed by the parents and friends, to the very confussion of the girl.. i don't remember her name, but her performance is outstanding, its very interesting how she interchange her wasys from childish feelings and behavour to thoughtful and even worried attitudes, being all the time very credible, the picture has a sad background, but the bright of the girl as the protagonist gives the element of hope, being the picture not sad but quite interesting and rich, with a lot of joyful funny moments. I really recommend this great movie.

This debut film by Julie Gavras, daughter of famed Greek-born director Costa-Gavras (e.g., Z, 1969), was nominated for the Grand Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. In addition to directing, Julie Gavras also collaborated with Arnaud Cathrine on the script which they adapted from a novel by Italian novelist Domitilla Calamai. What is striking about the story is the way it reconstructs how girls become social, how they learn about their world, how they question it, and how they reconcile the contradictions, and how they grow up.Doing the growing up is nine-year-old Anna de la Mesa, played with fidelity, wit, and skill beyond her years by Nina Kervel-Bey. She is bourgeois to the core, following the lead of her maternal grandparents, who own a vineyard in Bordeaux, and her favorite nanny and housekeeper who lost everything to the Communists when Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba. Her parents, however, are infatuated with the Left, especially with the rise of Allende to power in Chile. The year is 1970-71.Anna loves their house and garden and going to Catholic school. She is proper and sensible. When they lose their house, and have to let the nanny go, and end up renting an apartment in Paris, Anna is upset and demands to know why things have changed. When it appears that they don't have as much money, Anna begins turning off the lights and turning down the heat to save money. When they want her to transfer to the public school, she demurs and a compromise is made: she can continue to go to Catholic school but she is not allowed to take Bible studies. So when that time of the day comes, she has to stand up and go outside the classroom door and wait.But Anna is strong emotionally and intellectually. She questions everything and is not self-conscious about being singled out. The other girls may laugh, but when she gets into a fight with one of them, she manages to win her over afterwards so that they are friends, even though their parents are not.There is in the background the political disputes between the Right and the Left, between parents who change the subject when the question how babies are made is brought up, and those who tell the truth, in short between the bourgeois and the bohemian. One gets the sense that Gavras and Anna are wiser than the disputants, and that there is something to appreciate in both ways of life.It is impossible not to identify with little Anna, partially because she herself is so fair, and partially because it is such a thrill to see the psychology of the socialization process displayed so well and true in a movie, but also because Nina Kervel-Bey is such a powerful little actress who was so wondrously directed by Julie Gavras. This is one of the best performances by a preteen actor that I have ever seen. Kervel-Bey simply dominates the film and commands the screen.Will Anna shed her petite bourgeois ways and embrace the politics of her parents? I highly recommend that you see this film and find out.(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)