Au Revoir, Les Enfants is a semi-autobiographical, fictionalized account of Malle’s own childhood experiences during Nazi occupation. The title translated into English, “Goodbye Children” refers both to the tragic departing at narrative’s end, as well as the general loss of innocence that accompanies an adolescent’s transition into adulthood. Overall its quite a beautiful yet heartbreaking piece of cinema. Dealing largely with the war yet almost ignoring its presence onscreen, it instead utilizes the microcosm of a small boys Catholic school to showcase the grander effects of the miserable conflict outside.
The film focuses largely on Julien Quentin, Malle’s own surrogate whom is often set in moral ambiguity among his peers. Opposite him is the seemingly mysterious newcomer Bonnet, later revealed to be a Jew in hiding. While one could easily spend a good deal of time discussing the emotional and humanistic impact of Malle’s personal work, I find that this would be quite redundant. For one, its a given and has been contextualized by many sources to death. Instead I will focus on a particular visual motif that caught my interest and was cleverly utilized cinematically, to add depth to this already impressive film.