A Secret

François is a thin, shy boy. His father is an athlete and his mother a swimmer; both are strong and the child does not resemble them. He invents an imaginary older brother. One day their neighbour Louise tells him something about his family: they are Jewish and something happened during the war. Over the years he learns it in pieces. His father had another marriage, had a son, and a decision was taken during the war. The narrative runs on three times: childhood, the war years and adulthood. Claude Miller directs. Cécile de France, Patrick Bruel, Ludivine Sagnier and Julie Depardieu are in the cast. The source is Philippe Grimbert's novel. The book rests on the writer's own family and was widely read in France. Its formal choice is colour; the present is in black and white while the war years are in colour, the reverse of the usual. The matter it works at is silence; the family does not speak of its past and the child carries that as a lack. Julie Depardieu won the supporting actress award in France for the part. The narrative does not judge the decision taken during the war and explains its reasons. Its limit is structure; the shifts between the three times are frequent and some sections stay short. Who it is for: viewers who like French family drama and historical narrative. Who it is not for: the subject is heavy, the structure complicated, and the emotional register high.