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| Three happy children roam the wild hills of Provence on this pleasant poster for Christophe Barratier's Le Temps des Secrets |
Marcel goes away with his family for Summer vacation in Provence and reaffirms his friendship with the local peasant's son there. But this year, a girl comes between the two.
Le Temps des Secrets is written by Laurent Turner (La Chance de Ma Vie (2010)) and co-writer/director, French master filmmaker Christophe Barratier (The Chorus/Les Choristes (2004)). It is an adaptation of French writer/filmmaker Marcel Pagnol's autobiographical Souvenirs D'Enfance novels (1957-60). The title translates to 'the time of secrets'.
Barratier lavishes expensive camera work and production values but regrettably comes to present a film that feels too much like window dressing and prettying up of its period, France anno 1905, than an authentic travel back in time. The costumes are too neat, the actors too well-groomed, and the kids, though not bad performers, lack blemishes. It strains the naturalism that they look like they were tricked away from a soap commercial in this case anyway. The grand and 'storytelling' score is also too much and often only further alienates.
One comes to look at the story, which is a yarn of various boyhood experiences, including a dangerous grotto and snake capture, the strange and dubious family of the snooty girl that Marcel falls for, his own father's infidelity and mother's women's lib engagement and a few other entanglements. SPOILER The ending gives us a major reveal (the girl is actually a boy), but no more knowledge or insight into the curious fact, nor into the fate of her or her peculiar swindling family.
Despite sweet moments, beautiful landscapes and tolerable craftsmanship, Le Temps des Secrets is an unsatisfying experience, where one wonders what Barratier was aiming for. It is a bit here, a bit there, and generally too sentimental and pat. The Pagnol novel series have been adapted before, in the undoubtedly more worthwhile My Father's Glory (1990) and My Mother's Castle (1990) by Yves Robert, - lauded films that are on my watchlist now.
Related posts:
Christophe Barratier: Top 10: Best French movies
2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Top 10: Best family movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Top 10: The best adaptations reviewed by Film Excess to date
The Chorus/Les Choristes (2004) - The inspiring-teacher masterpiece
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: 9.27 mil. €, approximately 9.5 mil. $
Box office: 3 mil. $ and counting
= Mega-flop (has returned 0.31 times its cost to date)
[Le Temps des Secrets premiered 21 January (Alpe d'Huez Festival, France) and runs 108 minutes. 12 companies and support bodies collaborated in making the film. It opened #2 in France, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd weekend and has grossed 3 mil. $. Other markets are Belgium, Canada, Denmark and Sweden, with grosses from there not reported online yet and likely negligible. Barratier does not have his next movie announced yet. 161 IMDb users have given Le Temps des Secrets a 6.5/10 average rating.]
What do you think of Le Temps des Secrets?
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