FORBIDDEN GAMES

France | 1952 | DCP | 87 min. | French with English subtitles
Director: René Clément
Cast: Brigitte Fossey, Georges Poujouly, Lucien Hubert

Amid the chaos of the German invasion of France in 1940, young Paulette (a heartbreaking performance by five-year-old Fossey) is orphaned and taken in by a peasant family whose son, Michel, becomes her closest companion. The two children, bound by innocence and grief, create a secret animal cemetery, stealing crosses from the village to honor the imaginary creatures. As wartime tensions escalate among the adults Michel and Paulette’s fragile bond and makeshift sanctuary come under threat. One of the most haunting and touching international movies to ever reach American cinemas, Forbidden Games is a still-potent anti-war classic. “The film is so powerful because it does not compromise on two things: the horror of war and the innocence of childhood” (Roger Ebert). A new 4K restoration will be screened.