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The Vow

A saccharine and paint-by-numbers slice of romance, which is largely boosted by the appeal of its two leads.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (3D)

The under-utilised 3D adds little to this prequel, which only serves as a sore reminder of the brilliance of the original films.

Any Questions For Ben?

The talented bunch of actors ably cut through the surface gloss, but it’s tough to remain invested in the plight of the self-absorbed lead.

Shame

It starts off as brutal but arresting stuff, and the two lead performances are scorching, but disappointingly dissolves into a case of tragedy for the sake of tragedy.

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The Fox And The Child (Film)

by Amy Wheeler | July 07, 2009 16:30 | Edited July 07, 2009 16:32

A strange mix of doco/fairy tale, this film does have beautiful cinematography but is let down by inconsistencies in tone.

From acclaimed French filmmaker Luc Jacquet, who brought us the award winning March Of The Penguins, comes The Fox And The Child, an odd mix of documentary and fairy tale. While the beautifully composed footage of both animals and landscapes is stunning, this simple, slow moving story will cause both children and parents alike to struggle to keep from fidgeting.

 

The Fox And The Child tells of a young girl who lives on the edge of the Jurassic Mountains in the East of France. After observing a hunting fox one day, she is drawn to the forest, and spends most of her free time exploring and searching for the animal, to no avail. A full season later, she finally finds the fox. The two grow closer until the fox starts acting more like a pet dog. When the girl takes their relationship one step too far, urging the fox to follow her into her house, disaster ensues, resulting in a surprising scene that may be a bit too graphic for the younger viewers at which the film is targeted.

 

Although the film has a nice message, distractions such as repetitive, explicit narration by Kate Winslet (in the French version, it was Isabelle Carre) - from the point of view of the girl many years later - and poor dubbing sorely detract from its charm. The heart of the film is its beautiful documentary-style cinematography; fantastical scenes, such as one in which the girl falls asleep in the woods, surrounded by glow worms, badgers and her beloved fox, conflict with the overall style of the film, resulting in a disjointed feeling - the viewer is torn between indulging in a fantasy and embracing the film's documentary aesthetic.