A scene from Luc Jacquet's "The Fox and The Child" starring Bertille No‘l Bruneau and narrated by Kate Winslet.
“Never work with children and animals”.
Experts say these two groups are the most difficult to work with, yet director Luc Jacquet (The March Of The Penguins), has successfully negotiated these opposing creatures and shot the two at play in picturesque surroundings in his new film The Fox & The Child.
Long sweeping shots of a verde green forest provide the backdrop for a life-altering meeting between an auburn-haired girl (Bertille Noël-Bruneau) and a fox she names Lily. The girl becomes fascinated by the fox and spends more and more time with her, eventually building a friendship and establishing mutual trust with the creature.
However, the girl simultaneously learns some hard rules about survival and discovers the unpredictable nature of the fox; it remains an unsolved mystery, even at the very end.
The film is a slow-burning affair. Children may find certain scenes either too scary or too laborious to watch, while adults may find it a test in patience, as it is very much a child-friendly offering.
This film features very little dialogue, and the few words spoken by the girl are poorly dubbed, and distractingly so. The story is predominantly told through the saccharine narration of Kate Winslet, which often interrupts proceedings with inane observations. Winslet’s dialogue is supposed to be from the perspective of an older version of the girl, even though we only follow the child over the course of a year.
The cinematography in this film is aesthetically pleasing. It creates a sense of enchantment about the forest and features various reminders of the beauty of nature, including seasonal changes. It is also refreshing to view life through the innocent eyes of the child, as she lives vicariously through her fox friend.
Ultimately, the film is like a National Geographic special meets children’s storybook with a heady dose of morality, as the girl learns what love really is thanks to such an unlikely pairing.
