Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
Orphaned after a Nazi air raid, Paulette, a young Parisian girl, runs into Michel, an older peasant boy, and the two quickly become close. Together, they try to make sense of the chaotic and crumbling world around them, attempting to cope with death as they create a burial ground for Paulette's deceased pet dog. Eventually, however, Paulette's stay with Michel's family is threatened by the harsh realities of wartime.
Forbidden Games is a quietly devastating masterpiece that approaches WWII through the eyes of two children who process death by building a secret animal cemetery, adorned with stolen crosses. The plot is deceptively simple yet profoundly resonant, using childhood innocence as a lens to expose the absurdity and cruelty of war. The performances—particularly from the two child leads—are extraordinarily naturalistic and unselfconscious, earning a genuine 4 in acting. The film's novelty lies in its singular perspective: no other war film of its era approached the subject with such unaffected tenderness and dark irony. The ending, in which Paulette is wrenched away and lost in the crowd of refugees calling 'Michel,' is one of cinema's great gut-punch conclusions. Cinematography, while competent and often lovely in its pastoral framing, is the least exceptional element relative to the film's other achievements, landing at a solid 3.