Love can be a beautiful thing and the bond which is shaped between two individuals can be so special that you both feel you have something which if unique. I had heard from Jeux d’Enfants (of Love Me If You Dare) that the two main characters had a very remarkable bond and it was a movie which had been on my to watch list for way too long. That’s also the reason I chose it for my Blindspot series this year. After watching the film I can only agree that Julien (Guillaume Canet) and Sophie (Marion Cotillard) have something I’ve never seen before and that this is a movie which really impressed.
The two meet each other at a young age. Sophie is made fun of by all the children and when Julien sees this he decides to do something about it. From that moment on the two spend a lot of time together and are constantly doing dares. Julien has a tin box he received from his sick mother which means a lot to him and when Sophie has it he has to perform a challenge in order to get it back. After that they do it the other way around. The challenges start small, like making jokes while in class or peeing your pants in the principal’s office, but as they get older the dares start becoming more extreme and they also start playing with each other’s feelings. The two aren’t prepared to stop with their game and the question is how long they will be able to keep playing and how far they’ll go.
If you think, based on the pictures, that this is a fun romcom which kind of looks like the movie Amélie, than you are only partly right. The look will remind you of Amélie, but the humour in this movie is very dark and not for everyone. I loved this movie though as both Canet and Cotillard are amazing in their roles and was as moved as the characters they play. You feel their connection and get why they keep doing this, no matter how strange it eventually gets. The world is their playground, even if the toys start become more dangerous. Through convincing sets and wardrobe you get a good sense at which moment in their lives scenes are set and see the passage of time. There are a couple of shots which really stand out, like one in which Julien falls backwards and lands in a puddle. Those type of moments, combined with the well written story result in a movie which I immediately wanted to watch again and I don’t have that happen very often.
Oh, this film is awesome. Especially for the fact that its leads are now a married couple in real life as it’s obvious they have some kind of chemistry. Plus, I found it fun to see Marion Cotillard doing comedy as she is really funny without trying to be.
Yeah, I know which adds something extra watching this movie. Yeah, she is able to do that really well.
I loved how this one just puts you on such a rollercoaster with everything from pee jokes through to heartbreaking moments when they just can’t get together in their middle-ages.
Gets me every time – although I still don’t know about the crazy ending!
I was mesmerized by this movie when I saw it in 2004. Its romanticist logic resonated deeply with me at the time and now, years later, I still think of it as one of my top three favorites.
Nice to hear that. Makes me want to rewatch it again (as it’s been now four years since I’ve seen it last)