[FOOT] Film Festival: The Children of Chabannes Review

Personal Issues: I'm a sucker for documentaries. I don't care much for regular films, but I really like documentaries because they're factual. I often find a lot of the more modern ones (think Michael Moore) to be a bit scare-tactic oriented if focused on political issues, but in general, I just love watching documentaries. I can't say I'm particularly interested in World War II, but I am always interested in a good story, and The Children of Chabannes was great. It was a very heartfelt and it bled with authenticity. I couldn't help but feel for those involved and how touching it was. It was a very realistic view of what was going on in that town.

Technique: The film was mainly comprised of interviews with different people -- very common for a documentary. It's not actors reading from a script, rather human beings telling their story. It wasn't filled with fancy CGI and Michael Bay-like explosions. It spent its time really telling a story about a real world event.

Acting: Because this is a documentary, the people in the film were not "actors" because they weren't acting anything out. They said what they felt and shared their knowledge on the situation at hand.

Plot: "A tale of courage, resilience and love set during WWII, The Children of Chabannes tells the story of how the people of Chabannes, a tiny village in unoccupied France, chose action over indifference and saved the lives of 400 Jewish refugee children. Filmmaker Lisa Gossels returns to Chabannes with her father and uncle, two of the 400 children who were saved. Through intimate interviews with her father and the other "children" of Chabannes, the filmmakers recreate the joys and fears of daily life in that village. We see how this oasis of hope is shattered in August of 1942, when the war reaches the doorsteps of the chateau where the children lived. Through accounts by the extraordinary teachers who taught and loved these children, this lyrical and moving film shows the remarkable efforts made by the citizens of Chabannes, who risked their lives and livelihoods to protect these children, simply because they felt it was the right thing to do." -www.childrenofchabannes.org.

Themes: Beyond the plot theme of saving Jews from Nazi Germany, The Children of Chabbanes really focuses on acceptance and harmony. It's a testament that people can have different views and lifestyles and be together and work together without need for violence. The man who saved all 400 of those Jewish children, Felix Chevrier, was the beacon of that lighthouse and really shows the compassion a human really can have. It was nothing less than touching and reenforces the ideals of solidarity.

Genre: Historial documentary/Jewish Film.

Representation: The film represents as factual of an account of an event as possible. By using interviews, it doesn't allow for a creator bias and isn't a work of fiction.

Ideology: I think this basically ties to the themes of the film. Because it's a documentary. It focuses on Jewish culture, so those ideologies are brought forth, along with the theme of solidarity and caring for your fellow human in times of war.