Forbidden Games (1952)

 Rene Clement's "Forbidden Games"

Rene Clement's 1952 war film is completely unlike any war film that had come before. More specifically, it was a war film that didn't center on the war and instead focuses its story of a 5 year-old-girl. The film, "Forbidden Games" is based on the 1947 novel of the same name by Francois Boyer. 

In June 1940, five-year-old Paulette's parents and pet dog die tragically in a German air attack on refugees fleeing Paris. Paulette takes her dead dog and flees, eventually meeting ten-year-old Michel. Michel's parents are peasant farmers and take her in. Paulette and Michel bury her dog in the old abandoned mill and Paulette requests Michel to steal local crosses so that they can make a cemetery for more dead animals so her deceased dog would not be alone. Michel's stealing of the crosses causes trouble and even starts a family feud between neighbors. Eventually, the police arrive to take Paulette to an orphanage.

The brilliance of "Forbidden Games" lies in its simplicity. Rather than creating a complex narrative to construct abstract notions about the war, we view the fallout of the war through the eyes of a little girl who attempts to attain some sort of understanding and closure. While the two children search for meaning, understanding, and spirituality, all the adults in the film are busy dealing with issues that aren't of the same level. It is almost as if the war is not even taking place for them. The nearby church, an institution of faith, is also more concerned about missing crosses and local marriage proposals. While the world is falling down around them, it is the children who attempt to reach some sort of catharsis. However, in the end, the frailties of the adults, unphased by sentimentality, victor and leave Paulette alone and forgotten.