Les Innocents (1987) Reviews

The lines between love, sex, and politics become hopelessly blurred in this French drama from director Andre Techine. Jeanne (Sandrine Bonnaire), born and raised in Northern France, is visiting the Mediterranean for the first time, prompted by two events: the wedding of her sister, and the disappearance of her brother. Jeanne's brother is a deaf-mute who supports himself as a pickpocket under the tutelage of Said (Abdel Kechiche), and one of his only friends is Klotz (Jean-Claude Brialy), an older married man with bisexual leanings who has a weakness for young Arab boys. Jeanne meets Klotz and finds herself attracted to his son Stephane (Simon de la Brosse), who like his father is interested in both women and men. However, Jeanne also meets Said, and she finds herself infatuated with him as well, and she's soon torn between the two in a romantic and sexual dilemma that mirrors France's political turmoil regarding the nation's growing Arab population. Jean-Claude Brialy's performance in this film earned him a Best Supporting Actor award from the French Academy of Cinema. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi