That face.
This is acting before being told what acting is. Brigitte
Fossey's innocence is so real that everyone around her stops pretending and
starts responding to this little girl's wonderment and are as much in awe of
her as the audience. That goes doubly for her rescuer, Michel. She wants a
fairyland pet resting place? So be it. Her wish is his command, because she
only knows sincerity and Michel is acutely aware of it. Nothing will stop him
from protecting and preserving what innocence he can. Protecting innocence.
That is a tall order, but how can we turn our backs on it? The ways this movie
begins and ends are so difficult, that I know it's affecting me and will
continue to do so--just the way the director, René Clément, would have it.
The idea of exploring morbidity, in the face of it, sounds
like the best kind of therapy possible. I remember an old, beautiful cemetery
that my friend and I would visit on the way home from grade school. We'd read
the headstones and think about the people's lives, as we cleared away the
overgrown plants and grass. Little did I know I was creating my own therapy. My
favorite moment in the film is the panning shot of Paulette and Michel's
healing creation.
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