The Fox and the Child (2007)

One of my all time favorites.

Better Late Then Never

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Directed by Luc Jaquet, who previously - and most famously - bought us "March of the Penguins," here subsequently brings us "The Fox and The Child." The plot is quite slight, as you could describe it in one sentence: A young girl encounters a fox in the forests surrounding her home, and so tries to get closer to it. Of course, this one sentence plot is deceptively simple. By trying to get closer to the fox, the young girl wants to get literally close enough to the fox to touch, but also close enough to it for it to be her animal friend. But as well as that, the plot allows room for such subject matter as fox hunting, domesticity vs. nature, coming-of-age, and the folly of trying to tame forces beyond your control. The crisp, highly defined photography of the forest, the mountains and its wildlife inhabitants is absolutely astounding. Just utter jaw-dropping, breathtaking, knock-out beauty that can scarcely be believed. To merely describe the sights seen in this film would be an injustice. They must be seen to be believed. For any children that watch this, the film will delight them to no end. For adults, this is equally true. The fox of the title - or foxes, as there were numerous foxes used to portray just the one - is, without speaking or emoting in any human terms, quite a fantastic fox. (But not a Mister, as it's a female fox. Just, y'know, FYI.) But a problem that I DID have with the film is its narration, read by - in the English version - Kate Winslet. To me, the narration is far too story bookishly read, and a bit clunkily written, too. As a personal preference, I'd have rather the film had no narration at all, and just let the wonderful images speak for themselves. Or if not that, I wish the narration had at least been written a bit better. Other than that big flaw of the film, it's a joyous experience of a film that anyone can enjoy (up until a certain dark, morbid and tear jerking bit near the end, which needs to be there) and that if you can catch it, you should most certainly give it a go. =))

In the French countryside, a beautiful red-headed girl spies a fox. Its love at first glance. Thereafter, the young lass uses much of her free time looking through the meadows and woods for her new friend. At one point, the young girl breaks a leg and must stay indoors for quite a spell. Her parents bring her books on foxes, which she devours. Soon, she is back outside, after the winter has passed. Meanwhile, the fox has had a scary run-in with a wild cat but made it to a hole, exhausted but alive. She also finds her mate and delivers two young foxes. Through some instinctive miracle, the fox does let the young girl pet her from time to time. Also, when a large bird of prey decides on a young fox meal, the girl is there to cover the pup with her body until the danger has passed. Will the girl and her fox remain friends forever? This is a stunningly beautiful film, with superb photography. Animal lovers will rejoice at seeing the world through a fox's eyes and admire the little girl's avid interest in the natural world near her home. Also, Kate Winslet's English narration is quite wonderful, too. But, alas, the scary moments are very real, for nature is often cruel. This will upset younger children and sensitive viewers, who love creatures but hate the harsh eat-or-be-eaten world. This reviewer, for example, couldn't finish the film, for there were too many "close calls" for the fox and her family. But, if you are the type who can just celebrate the life of animals, no matter what the results, this is probably a film you don't want to overlook.

This film has some pretty significant things going for it: The cinematography and lighting are beautiful; together they successfully capture a truly dense and wondrous natural landscape. The animal handling is impressive. The little girl is cute.But if this film had had no narration and no voice over it would have been substantially better. Both (in the English version, anyway) are invasive, poorly written, and poorly executed. The music is also occasionally distractingly over-dramatic. It's unfortunate that the filmmakers didn't have enough insight to remove these unsuccessful elements in order focus on their strengths.

At the beginning of the movie, the beautiful photography and the scenes of the fox were amazing. However, the story was so very slow and boring. And then the little girl begins to domesticate the fox, which leads to tragic events. We live in the forest, and frequently see foxes. One thing anyone should know is that you leave wild animals to be wild, and enjoy them from afar. This movie sets a terrible example to the children who will be watching it, in trying to make a wild creature into a pet. I do not know what the point of the story was supposed to be. Even after the terrible events with the main fox, the little girl was still wanting to play with the kits. Does she never learn her lesson? And there are other scenes featuring predator animals to the fox, which only adds to the trauma inflicted on children watching this movie. What a disappointment this movie was. And what a horrible story it tells. The final narrated dialog was so stupid, by which time my wife and I were screaming at the TV! I absolutely hated this movie, and would never recommend it to anyone!