A Bag of Marbles () is a 2017 French drama film directed by Christian Duguay, based on the autobiographical novel A Bag of Marbles by Joseph Joffo. It is the second time the novel has been made into a film after Un sac de billes (1975). The film won the Best Narrative Audience Award at the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival 37. The film was also a jury prize competitor at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.
Plot
In occupied France during World War II, two young Jewish brothers, Maurice and Joseph, are sent by their parents to the Italian Zone, and display courage, intelligence and ingenuity as they escape the occupiers and try to reunite their family.
At the very end of the film, Maurice and Joseph, who became barbers like their father, are shown in the present day (2017) in a Paris cafe.
Cast and characters
Dorian Le Clech as Joseph
Batyste Fleurial as Maurice
Patrick Bruel as Roman
Elsa Zylberstein as Anna
Bernard Campan as Amboise Mancelier
Kev Adams as Ferdinand
Christian Clavier as Doctor Rosen
César Domboy as Henri
Ilian Bergala as Albert
Emile Berling as Raoul Mancelier
Jocelyne Desverchère as Marcelle Mancelier
Coline Leclère as Françoise
Holger Daemgen as Alois Brunner
Michael Smadja as Simon
Lucas Prisor as German Controller
Frédéric Épaud as the priest Buffa
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 24 reviews, and an average rating of 7.3/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Hannah Brown of The Jerusalem Post called A Bag of Marbles "One of the best movies told about the holocaust from a child’s point of view".
The film was shot in the south of France and in Žatec, Czech Republic.
References
External links
2017 drama films
2017 films
French drama films
2010s French-language films
Films set in France
Films directed by Christian Duguay (director) Canadian drama films French-language Canadian films 2010s Canadian films 2010s French films
