This film is currently unavailable
Au revoir les enfants
A French boarding-school friendship threatened by Nazi hatred in Malle's elegant tale of World War Two.
Director: Louis Malle
Overview
The story is set in January 1944 at an exclusive Catholic boys boarding school near Fontainebleau. Twelve-year-old Julien (Gaspard Manesse), a bright, popular pupil at the school, is asked by headmaster Père Jean to look after a new boy, the shy, sensitive Jean Bonnet (Raphaël Fejtö). As the boys slowly become friends, finding a shared love of reading and music, Julien discovers that Jean is Jewish and that he is being kept hidden from the Nazis by the priests of the school under an assumed name. Within an exceptionally moving, yet deliberately unsentimental central story, Malle blends fact with fiction to create notable characters such as Julien’s glamorous mother and Joseph, the much-taunted kitchen helper who runs a black market with the boys.
Au revoir les enfants was a worldwide box-office triumph, winning critical acclaim and numerous awards, including Golden Lion for Best Film at the 1987 Venice Film Festival, seven French Césars and a BAFTA. It was also nominated for two Academy Awards.
Related
Red Angel Red Angel
Drama 1966 95 mins Director: Yasuzo Masumura
A potent and blood-soaked tale of saints and sinners set at the height of the Sino-Japanese war.
From Hilde, with Love From Hilde, with Love
Historical drama 2023 124 mins Director: Andreas Dresen
A powerful historical drama inspired by the true story of the Red Orchestra Nazi-resistance group and two courageous resistance fighters.
84 Charlie MoPic 84 Charlie MoPic
War 1989 91 mins Director: Patrick Duncan
Cult 'found footage' war film following a Vietnam patrol unit from the perspective of an embedded combat cameraman.
Two Women Two Women
War 1960 100 mins Director: Vittorio De Sica
Sophia Loren won an Oscar® for her performance as a mother trying to protect her daughter in wartime Italy, in Vittorio De Sica's neorealist classic.
Eastern Condors Eastern Condors
Crime 1987 98 mins Director: Sammo Hung Kam-bo
A high-kicking tribute to The Dirty Dozen, which sees ten convicts offered amnesty if they undertake a deadly mission behind enemy lines.
The Last Metro The Last Metro
Romance 1979 132 mins Director: François Truffaut
Catherine Deneuve shines as the director and lead actor of a Parisian theatre struggling to survive under the Nazi occupation in Truffaut's wartime drama.
Nil by Mouth Nil by Mouth
Drama 1997 129 mins Director: Gary Oldman
Twenty-five years old and newly restored, Gary Oldman’s BAFTA-winning debut as writer-director remains a magnificent achievement.
Enys Men Enys Men
Horror 2022 91 mins Director: Mark Jenkin
Mark Jenkin follows Bait with this chilling, endlessly mysterious folk horror tale, beautifully shot on grainy 16mm.
Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies
Drama 1963 91 mins Director: Peter Brook
Peter Brook’s Palme d’Or-nominated adaption of the classic novel by William Golding.
Blue Jean Blue Jean
Drama 2022 97 mins Director: Georgia Oakley
A closeted PE teacher reckons with her identity during Thatcherite Britain in Georgia Oakley’s delicate yet gripping BAFTA-nominated debut.
Pirates Pirates
Comedy 2021 80 mins Director: Reggie Yates
Set in London at the turn of the millennium, Reggie Yates’ hilarious debut feature takes us on a journey back to New Year's Eve 1999, reviving memories from the 90's garage scene and Moschino fashion for pure nostalgic cinematic joy.
Tenebrae Tenebrae
Crime 1982 101 mins Director: Dario Argento
Following his supernatural sojourns, Suspiria and Inferno, Argento steps back into the real world for a blood-soaked tale of murder and meta-textuality.
Dragon's Return Dragon's Return
Drama 1968 85 mins Director: Eduarda Grecnera
A reclusive potter nicknamed ‘Dragon’, exiled from his isolated homestead, returns years later, aiming to win back the trust of the villagers.
Battleship Potemkin (Music by Pet Shop Boys) Battleship Potemkin (Music by Pet Shop Boys)
Historical drama 1925 75 mins Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein
Marking the centenary of Sergei Eisenstein’s landmark film, with thrilling music by Pet Shop Boys.
The Ice Storm The Ice Storm
Comedy 1997 113 mins Director: Ang Lee
An impressive ensemble cast populate Ang Lee’s riveting portrait of family life in 1970s America.
Chicken Town Chicken Town
Comedy 2025 90 mins Director: Richard Bracewell
Two old schoolfriends join forces with an elderly neighbour to fence a shed full of weed, in this sprightly, easy-going British comedy.
Les Amants du Pont-Neuf Les Amants du Pont-Neuf
Drama 1991 126 mins Director: Léos Carax
A homeless addict (Denis Lavant) and a young painter (Juliette Binoche) with failing eyesight forge a bond on the streets of Paris.
Pharaoh Pharaoh
Historical drama 1965 146 mins Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Dazzling epic, in which the young Pharaoh Ramses XIII clashes with Egypt's clergy over influence on the affairs of the state and its coffers.