Wild Reeds is the kind of film that illustrates what sensitive filmmaking is all about. It was directed by a Frenchman well-known in his native country, though not especially well-appreciated internationally. Wild Reeds is among his most highly regarded films.

Historical Background: André Téchiné was born in 1943 in France. After working as a film critic and film professor, he turned to making films in 1969 with Paulina s'en Va. His persistent theme is human sexuality and he has been fortunate to work with several of the top French actresses, including Isabelle Huppert in The Brontë Sisters (1979), Juliette Binoche in Rendez-Vous (1985) and Catherine Deneuve in both Le lieu du Crime (1986) and Ma Saison Préférée (1993). Although his female lead for Wild Reeds, Élodie Bouchez, was an unknown at the time of the film, she won a Cesar for best female newcomer for her performance and later shared a Cannes Best Actress award for her role in Dreamlife of Angels (1998). Wild Reeds is a quasi-biographical film based on Téchiné's own experiences in his last year of boarding school.

The Story: Maïté Alvarez (Élodie Bouchez) and François (Gaïl Morel) are Platonic girlfriend and boyfriend and both in their last year of French boarding school in Provence. As the story opens, the pair is obliged to spend a sunny afternoon at a wedding, out of obligation to Maïté's mother, Madame Alvarez (Michèle Moretti), since the groom, Pierre Bartolo (Eric Kreikenmayer) is one of her former students. During the reception, Pierre tells his former teacher, while they dance, that he only married the bride, Irène (Nathalie Vignes), in order to get a leave from the Algerian War. He asks Madame Alvarez, who is an avid communist (the French communists opposed colonial exploitation and the Algerian War), if she can find him a place to hide so that he can desert altogether. In his state of semi-intoxication, he also goes so far as to suggest that he and Madame Alvarez are practically lovers since he once looked up her dress while stooping to pick up a piece of chalk and she hadn't objected. Madame Alvarez storms off in a state of shock and disbelief, taking Maïté and François along with her.

Madame Alvarez is the teacher of French literature at the boarding school and very demanding. François is an intellectual, and somewhat narcissistic in the eyes of his French teacher. He enjoys going to the cinema with Maïté. Maïté is a communist, like her mother, and very committed to her beliefs. She is freaked out about her nascent sexuality, especially because her father had abandoned her mother for his mistress. Maïté suspects that being tied to a man will lead inevitably to anguish. François poses little risk in that respect and represents a "safe" male companion for her. In point of fact, François is an even safer choice than either he or Maïté initially realize, since François is just beginning to discover that his sexual orientation is not what he had assumed it to be.

François bunks next to Serge Bartolo (Stéphane Rideau), the younger brother of the earlier bridegroom, Pierre. Serge is a rugged athletic fellow who grew up on a farm. Serge suggests that he help François in math and that François help him in French class. As their friendships deepens, Serge brings up the subject of masturbation and suggests that they "jerk off" together. François insists that they slip under the covers, where they engage in masturbating one another. Later, François describes this experience to Maïté and his discovery of his preference for men, fully expecting her to abandon their friendship. She, however, proves to be the most faithful and understanding of friends, insisting that it makes no difference to their own relationship (which is asexual anyway). At a club, they dance together in celebration, as the sounds of Chubby Checker's Let's Twist Again blare out across the speaker system. For Serge, the event was simply a one-time release of hormone-induced sexual tension. He is far more interested in Maïté than François, fantasizing about her when he masturbates. François is hopelessly in love with Serge, however, and clings to whatever opportunities come along for physical contact, such as lovingly wrapping his arms around Serge's waist as they share a motorcycle ride through the rural countryside. In another touching scene, François tries desperately to internalize the reality that he is gay by standing in front of a mirror in the bathroom repeating over and over, "I am a faggot."

Another boy in François's French class is Henri (Frédéric Gorny), a somewhat older boy, having just turned twenty-one. Henri is an intellectual and a so-called Pied-noir (an Algerian-born French national). Henri's father had been killed in Algiers when a bomb blew off half his face. Henri tells François how he had removed the towel covering his father's face during the wake so that he would always remember. True to his vow, Henri carries deep bitterness toward all those who supported the French withdrawal from its former colony and supports the reactionary right-wing OAS, which continues to wage a guerilla war against the Algerians. Henri's mother has had to flee Algiers to be repatriated in Marseilles. Henri spends much of his time listening to news of the situation in Algiers on his radio.

News arrives that Pierre Bartolo has been killed in Algiers. Madame Alvarez has to extract Serge from class so that the principal can deliver the bad news. Madame Alvarez blames herself for Pierre's death and later has a nervous breakdown while teaching her class. She has to be hospitalized and given sleep therapy for depression, leaving Maïté to fend by herself. Serge later becomes involved with his widowed sister-in-law, Irène, and contemplates marrying her.

Henri is so full of anger that he refuses either to succeed at his studies or to quit, which he is entitled to do now that he has turned twenty-one. He initially accepts special instruction from a sympathetic instructor, Monsieur Morelli (Jacques Nolot), but decides to drop out when the situation in Algiers takes another turn for the worse, from his perspective. He undertakes some parting vandalism, burning some Communist posters, and heads to the Communist headquarters planning to burn it down as well. There, however, he encounters Maïté, who is studying there to escape the loneliness of her empty home. Although the two haven't previously met, they have each heard about one another from François and each despises the other's politics. Nevertheless, they have in common a deep loneliness and Maïté offers Henri a place to sleep (not with her), until he informs her of his original intent to burn the place down. She then kicks him out.

The next day, Maïté, François, and Serge all nervously await the results of the final exam that will determine which of them have earned their baccalaureate degrees. Finally, with the tension overbearing, they decide to head to a spot that Serge knows for a swim. Along the way, they encounter Henri, who has not yet left town. Maïté changes into a canary colored swim suit while François, and Serge frolic in the cold river rapids in their underwear, and wander downstream. That leaves Henri with Maïté and the two reluctantly accept that they desperately desire one another, despite their strong political differences. They make love on the riverbank among the bushes before the other boys return. Henri heads off to catch his train while the other three wander back to the boarding school to find out if they've passed their exams.

Themes: The core of the story, written by Téchiné with Gilles Taurand and Loivier Massart, parallels that of nearly all coming-of-age stories: the sexual awakening of these adolescents and the complex feelings thus engendered. They have to cope with developing and changing friendships as well as tumultuous political events, death of a brother for one, and the mental breakdown of a mother for another. Three other issues give special depth to this coming-of-age story: the situation in Algiers, differing political viewpoints, and differences in sexual orientation. The Algerian War was as difficult for the national psyche of France as the Vietnam War was for America. There were deep political divisions among the French about how to deal with Algerian demands for independence and the precarious status of French nationals living in Algiers. For both Serge and Henri, the situation in Algiers was far more than a theoretical discussion, it having cost each of them a close relative.

These young students must also deal with sharp differences in political viewpoints among the four of them, from the arch communist Maïté on the left side to the reactionary Henri on the right. Yet, it is the two with the largest gap between them in their political perspectives that are drawn together by their mutual and immense need for love and hope. That they are able to find their common humanity underneath their respective prejudices and slogans gives hope to us all.

Then, Wild Reeds deals concurrently with coming-of-age from both heterosexual and gay perspectives, not separately, but integrated in a wholly mature, natural, and casual manner. It is interesting that Maïté and, even, the two heterosexual boys, Serge and Henri, provide more support and aid as François comes to grips with his sexual orientation than does the owner of a shoe store, who is known to be gay. Friendship provides a better basis for psychological support than does the mere sharing of a demographic category, though the combination of both friendship and common orientation is probably the best qualification of all for real empathy.

Production Values: Wild Reeds derives its name from an old fable about the superiority of flexible reeds to a mighty oak when it comes to withstanding strong storm winds. The story features a foursome of adolescents who exhibit the kind of resilience to buffeting that would make the wild reeds proud. Viewers are treated to an in-depth character study of the highest order. Like the reality of adolescence, Wild Reeds offers neither a definitive beginning nor a conclusive end to its story. Though there are several dramatic moments, the pace of the film is mostly leisurely, providing ample opportunity to savor the progress these youngsters make. The story unfolds with a realism that gives viewers a sense of voyeuristically observing classmates.

The cinematography is of a consistently high quality with plenty of beautiful shots of the countryside in Provence. One especially gorgeous sequence is the final scene at the river. The soundtrack features quite a range of music, from Chubby Checkers to Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings.

Although all of the four lead actors in this film were newcomers, they deliver such naturalistic performances that it really doesn't come across as fiction at all. Élodie Bouchez received the Cesar award for Best Female Newcomer for her portrayal of the complex emotions of Maïté. Gaïl Morel was equally compelling as the sensitive François. Stéphane Rideau, who skillfully played Serge, was something of a Matt Le Blanc lookalike (the actor who played Joey on the American sitcom Friends). Frédéric Gorny did a fine job with the difficult part of Henri, revealing qualities ranging from turmoil and bitterness to intelligence and loneliness.

Bottom-Line: Wild Reeds took four Cesar awards in 1994, including best picture, best director, best sceenplay, and best female newcomer. I highly recommend it for its sensitive look at coming-of-age under some unique circumstances. Wild Reeds is in French with English subtitles and has a running time of 110 minutes. The only extras on the Fox Lorber DVD are the theatrical trailer, some biographies, and production notes.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age