Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
A young girl of about 10 years lives in a solitary peasant's house on the edge of the jurassic mountains in the East of France. One day in autumn, when she is on her way to school through the forest, she observes a hunting fox. Of course, the fox flees from her, but the girl feels a strong desire to meet the fox again.
The Fox and the Child is a visually sumptuous French fable directed by Luc Jacquet, whose nature cinematography is genuinely exceptional — lush seasonal landscapes of the Jura mountains captured with the same patient, painterly eye as his March of the Penguins. The plot is a gentle parable about the limits of love and the danger of possessiveness, simple but emotionally resonant. Acting is quietly effective, with the young lead carrying the film naturally. The ending delivers a melancholy moral punch that elevates the material above typical family fare. However, the story follows a fairly familiar arc of childhood wonder leading to loss, and the narrative ambition is modest, keeping Novelty from standing out.